Chronicles of Goshinboku: Heartfire
by alohaturtle
Summary: [AU IK] On his 16th birthday, Inuyasha travels to Goshinboku Seminary, an academy reknowned for magic and combat. Besides the training, he doesn't know that what lies ahead includes prejudice, conjuring evils, and proving his worth to the world.
1. The Lord of Hosusori Court

New fanfic.

I'm really trying to broaden my interests of writing, so here goes with a fantasy/historical fiction genre. Hope you like it. Feel free to leave suggestions and pointers.

Thanks!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter I: The Master of Hosusori Court**

Inuyasha bowed before the feet of his father, silent in his wait. After reminding himself to keep his head touched to the woven tatami mat for at least ten full seconds, he looked up to see the face of his unsmiling father, who seemed to approve of the greeting.

After adjusting himself to the kneeling sitting position, Inuyasha tugged on the hems of his red haori, making the least attempt to present himself well enough. He resisted the urge to scratch his ears; he didn't want to have to be indignant later.

Inuyasha was better presented than usual. He had made sure to comb his white hair, though he found it tedious and long and boring. Of course, had he been purebred, as the courtiers said of demons, he might've had the servants do it. That privilege was taken away, but he wasn't disappointed or anything about the idea of letting the menservants wash, dress, and bathe you. The more he thought about it, the more repulsed he felt.

But he'd done the best he could with the taints of his hanyou blood, and felt a little relieved that his father approved.

Inutaisho diverted his attention quickly to a young girl in the corner. He snapped clawed fingers, an obvious cue for the girl to serve them tea.

She had a small, fragile frame, and Inuyasha had seen her around the estate frequently, but now that he saw her up close, he could see her frightened face. She smelled of liles, the moist lush smell of the water flowers, where sunshine was short and shadows long.

She came forward, holding the steaming kettle that spouted a ghostly steamy mist, and two tiny porcelain cups. Inuyasha took the tea unwillingly. Half-demons like him had no business in the court of the Lord of the Western Lands. As the rule went, hanyous were not mannered, not to be trusted, stupid, and most of all…unworthy.

"Thank you," Midori-sama."

Hanyous, not well mannered?

Actually, Inuyasha knew nothing of etiquette, or if he did flouted the rules. But he knew enough to be able to feign it, when he wanted to.

His father looked at him sternly.

He had forgotten. Nobody but high-ranking daimyos of the court could speak to the shogun without being told to first. This rule held exceptions for nobody. Not even the shogunate's son.

Inuyasha slowly bowed his head, a sign of reverence and humility.

When he looked up again, his father seemed satisfied.

"Midori, dismissal for the day."

The human servant girl bowed low and quickly, murmured a barely head, "Thank you, M'Lord," and scurried out of the room. She left the tea kettle beside Inuyasha, porcelain patterns weaving intricate vines around the piece.

Inutaisho stood up, silvery hair wafting over the finest silken garb. A pattern of sakura flowers covered the hems of his robes, and a red linen sash was tied above his waist. The kimono flowed serenely behind him at the smallest movement.

He turned around and stared, not blinking, at Inuyasha. "Drink," he commanded.

Until then Inuyasha hadn't even been aware of the tea growing lukewarm in his hands. He quickly swallowed most of it and set the cup, full of damp tea leaves, next to the kettle.

"I wish to discuss with you…The atrocities of your behavior in Hosusori Court."

Inuyasha looked quietly down at the woven tatami mats, hardly surprised.

"In the past week, you fought with Lord Subeki and nearly killed his favorite servant. What is your explanation?"

He had none, but he wasn't going to deny the offense. Lord Subeki and a procession of his family and servants were walking in the estate's gardens, a place Inuyasha could be at peace with his solitude. He had been sitting on a stone bench, just gazing up at the newly bloomed cherry blossoms, when one of Lord Subeki's children had demanded that he get up. Inuyasha had not answered, and so the brat took this to her father. Once Subeki had come over, Inuyasha had simply told him that this seat was occupied and that he would have to find another area to accommodate everyone. Lord Subeki really didn't have the power to take up a fight with Inuyasha. He was more of "the mouth" of the court, easily influencing other men and women of Hosusori with his words. He huffed and began leading everyone away, when a servant walking past Inuyasha had spit on his pants. After the events that followed, the servant sported a broken hip, several fractured ribs, and enough bruises to last him his entire life. Rumors flew of the manservant being unconscious for seven days and seven nights, but the more important thing was that the hanyou had caused it.

Inuyasha forced himself to look up. His pride would not be damaged.

"Fools tend to die hard."

This set Inutaisho off in a quiet, malignant rage. "You think this is a joke? Fatalities are not to be taken lightly under my watch."

He hadn't really meant it that way. "Not at all, father. But even I…" his voice faltered for a moment, "deserve some respect."

His father's back was to him, so Inuyasha really couldn't tell if he had heard a chuckle coming from him.

"You? A half-demon?" His father smiled grimly at him so he knew that it was not his mentality but that of everyone else. Both new the laws set within the courtiers' hearts. Laws that could not be breached.

"I was provoked, father," Inuyasha insisted.

"And what of it? Half demons deserve no equality in this world. You are nearer to dirt than to demon. Or human, for that matter."

"Am I just supposed to sit there and take it?" Inuyasha demanded, voice rising. His father turned to look at him, smiling again.

"Precisely. They will never change. You must."

Inuyasha now sat with his arms crossed stubbornly. His honor was what mattered most to him; it was likewise for everyone else he knew. He felt the growing need to prove himself to everybody, to recoil after the years of silence.

"And be a coward?"

"Cowardice is a separate thing from caution."

"What will I gain from hiding?" he defied.

"Perhaps a few more years of life," Inutaisho countered. "Whether you choose to see it or not, you have made many enemies in the court these last few months." He stood up, walked across the room, and picked up something that leaned against the wall. "You will need some defense if you wish to live past twenty years of age."

He presented him a sheathed sword.

Inuyasha looked up unbelievingly at his father.

When one was presented a sword personally by the Lord of the Western Lands, it was probably to be the most memorable event in their lives.

Inuyasha didn't inspect the sword right away, but knew by the make of the hilt that it was the work of Totosai, the master craftsman of the court. Inuyasha had never had his own sword. He often played with various weapons in the armory, but had never acquired one that truly suited him. Sesshomaru had received a sword, also crafted by Totosai, on his fifteenth birthday, and had always taunted Inuyasha for not yet having one. Inuyasha already felt bad that he was receiving it on his sixteenth.

"The Testusaiga. You'll learn to use it over the years at Goshinboku Seminary."

Inuyasha couldn't believe his ears. The sword, now this.

The Seminary of Goshinboku was the highest ranking training school for combat and magic. Sesshomaru had sailed away to Okinawa, the largest of the miniscule Islands of Ryukyu. Inuyasha had always secretly aspired to traveling away from Onzhou, specifically to Goshinboku. Now he had that chance, and he was going to take it, no matter what.

He forced himself to speak, but couldn't exactly get the words out. "Father…This is…This is too much."

"I know you would rather stay here in the midst of all the prejudiced courtiers, so if you wish, you can." Inutaisho's voice was full of sarcasm.

"I accept," Inuyasha said quickly. He felt as if the wind had been knocked from him and was struggling to speak.

"As I knew you would. For your own interests and your health."

"When do I get out of here, then?" Inuyasha said, not bothering to hide his disgust for this Hosusori.

"Soon…" Inutaisho smiled and nodded. "Soon."

He picked up the still-steaming kettle and poured himself and Inuyasha another cup each.

"How soon?" Inuyasha said with a bit of impatience.

"Very soon." Too vague.

"Today?" he asked, puzzled.

"Not that soon." His father took a sip of tea. "Though I'm sure Lord Subeki and his followers would like that. No, not t today."

"Tomorrow?" Inuyasha guessed.

"I couldn't arrange for it that soon. But you leave in a week. If I kept you here any longer you'd probably be killed."

After Inuyasha finished his cup of tea, his father dismissed him. He exited out the door and walked quietly through the courtyard, the Tetsusaiga in his firm grip, ignoring the mixed messages of foreboding and hope that his mind was sending him. The good thoughts gratefully overpowered the bad ones, but he knew they would never go away, they would just lay in hiding and materialize in the darkness.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that's the first chapter.

Review Review Review!

To clear up some things with you:

I'm creating sort of an alternate Japan in this fanfiction. In other words, I'm throwing away the familiar setting of Sengoku Jidai and creating my own. In the series, magic is seriously underrated. It's more of a power certain gifted individuals possess than an art that develops with work. I'm changing that factor in this fic, as you'll see soon.

The name Hosusori Court is not very important except for the fact that it is the huge estate where Inutaisho, the Lord of the Western Lands, rules. He is the big big big boss, simply.

Onzhou…Okay I know this sounds weird, but it just means "Honshu", or the largest of the islands of Japan. You know how in books the authors create a world that hits pretty close to home but is so much different in the same way?

I'll take a few examples. In the Lord of the Rings, the world is called Middle-Earth. In The Wizard of Earthsea, the world is called….errrr….Earthsea. (Who saw that coming?) But anyways, its just my alteration to the story so you know that it's not the same place as the Sengoku Jidai that Kagome tumbles into.

Islands of Ryukyu…These are a part of Japan, and Okinawa is a real place.

Seminary is a fancy shcmancy word for "training school."

Hope that stuff helped a bit. Bye bye!

-Alohaturtle


	2. Domain of Suijin

Okay, okay, I know I take too damn long for each of the chapters, but it's not like I have a lot of fans breathing down my back for new updates, anyways. Here is the second chapter. It's pretty short, and about Inuyasha's travel to Goshinboku Seminary…

NOTE: Read the cliffnotes. Very helpful. That is, if you don't already know Japanese well enough to understand every translated word.

Enjoy…

-Alohaturtle

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**CHAPTER II: Domain of Suijin**

Inutaisho summoned the Harbormaster's apprentice early that week; he had just arrived late that night.

The majority of the courtiers had welcomed his coming. Although that to them he was largely inferior to their high, might selves, they loved just the fact that he was here strictly on business that required taking a certain hanyou away.

And, for the record, the hanyou loved it himself.

The last week had been extremely restless for Hosusori. Lord Subeki's slander reached many ears, all believing, so that Inuyasha's life was put in considerable jeopardy.

He spent most of the days practicing with his new Tetsusaiga; but the blade seemed heavy and awkward in his grip. His father had told him it was made to transform, but so far he had not been able to harness that power.

The third day of the week was the occurring of the full moon.

The human inhabitants of Hosusori knew nothing of this happening every month; neither did the demon lords, of which there were few. It was a rare thing that he and his father shared, and insofar as Inuyasha knew, nobody had caught wind of it.

He intended to keep it that way.

With mixed emotions, Inuyasha prepared for travel. One thought told him that it was right to get away from here, no matter how much he'd miss his father, the other completely discouraged him and told him that Goshinboku would just be another prejudice shithole.

Inuyasha had already packed. There wasn't so much to bring for the Seminary except for changes of clothes. He was grateful the place didn't require uniform.

When he thought of costume, he immediately saw the estate's guard in his mind. They wore resplendent gray silk haoris under leather straps and metal joint guards and armor. The uniform went perfectly well with their taciturn job- they were not permitted to speak, ever. However, they always seemed to make exceptions specially for Inuyasha.

He supposed their stupid, brash expletives they shouted at him every day were due to their holding of the inferior ranks in the Court. To them, sadly, even a hanyou was living dirt.

Mostly, Inuyasha chose to ignore the repetitive remarks about his heritage, but if provoked, the black temper would spill out of him like it had with Lord Subeki.

And that's why he was grateful to be getting out of here. No matter how the students of Goshinboku regarded hanyous, Inuyasha figured he couldn't be the only one going. There must be one kid in the thousands that knows exactly what I've gone through, will go through. So from similar experiences, he could find a band of friends.

Inuyasha was escorted across the plains of the Western Lands by the Harbormaster's apprentice, a plain and quiet man who kept to himself. _Feh, suit yourself, _Inuyasha thought. He'd encountered worse things than prejudice. But it felt different. As a human, this man was…

…_fearing me?_

He shook the thought off and did his best to become friends with the man. His name was Izanagi, and sadly, he wouldn't be on the boat that would take Inuyasha to Okinawa.

Together they traveled in a small caravan. Inuyasha knew that for the travels of the lords, a company of caravans and a unit of cavalry were often summoned.

Thieves of the Eastern Lands often came to pillage his father's prospering countryside. Caravans were easy to spot, and since they were slow-moving, easy to surprise.

Inuyasha didn't give these matters second thoughts. He knew his blade and his claws well enough to defend himself and Izanagi.

After seven long days, the pair arrived at Port Kibou. To Inuyasha who had never cared to leave the regions of his father's close grasp, the port was a marvelous new place. The seaport had half a hundred boats and galleys rocked at quayside. Some lay hauled up and overturned for repairs, or out at anchor in the roadstead with furled sails and closed oarports. The sailors shouted in different dialect of Japanese, and Inuyasha even caught a bit of Chinese and Hsien with the merchants and parrot boys.

Some infantile riff-raff closed in on him and his guide.

"You want beas, sir? Very good, sir. Very cheap…"

"Lady, you want porcelain? Look-great queen-very lucky…"

"You want ride donkey?"

"That bad donkey, M'Lord, donkey very bad, that donkey fall down."

"This good sake! Sake, good sir!"

Inuyasha noticed with some amusement as the last shout roused a large crowd in front of that certain booth.

Izanagi gave a meaningful roll of the eyes.

Inuyasha nodded in agreement, then watched with intrigue as fishermen unloaded their catch, coopers pounded, shipmasters bellowed, clamsellers sung, and shipmakers hammered. The bay was silent and shining in itself.

With eyes, ears, and mind bewildered he followed Izanagi to the broad dock where the _Buraindo no Shinkyou _was moored and tied.

With a few words spoken the ship's master agreed to take Inuyasha as passenger to Okinawa, since it was the apprentice of the Harbormaster that asked. Izanagi parted with a kind goodbye, and bestowed his blessing upon Inuyasha.

The master of the _Shinkyou _was a big man, and fat, in a red cloack trimmed with gold taffeta such as rich merchants wear. He never looked at Inuyasha but asked him in a mighty voice, "Can ye work weather, boy?"

He had to say he could not, and with that the master told him to find a place out of the way and stay in it.

The oarsmen were coming aboard now, for the ship was to go out into the roadstead before night fell, and sail with the ebb-tide near dawn. There was no place out of the way but Inuyasha easily jumped onto the bundled, lashed, and hide-covered cargo in the stern of the ship, and clinging there, watched all that passed.

The well-built ship rode low with her burden, yet danced a little on the lapping waves on the shore, ready to be gone. Then the steersman took his place at the right of the sternpost, looking forward to the ship's master, who stood on a plank let in at the jointure of the keel with the stem, which was as dragon.

"Open ports," the master roared, and the great oars shot rattling out, fifteen to a side. The rowers bent their strong backs while a lad up beside the master beat the stroke on a drum.

The noise of the Kibou fell away suddenly.

Of the seventy crewmen aboard, some were Inuyasha's age, very young in years, but all had made their passage into manhood. These boys called him over to share food and drink, and were friendly though rough and full of jokes and jibes. They called him half-demon, of course, but they did not go any further than that, and Inuyasha was grateful.

He was as tall and strong as them, and quick to return either a good word or a jeer; so he made his way among them and even that first night began to live as one of them and learn their work, just a little bit. This was fine with the shipmaster, because there was no room aboard for idle passengers.

The wind grew stronger by the day, tearing waters of the East China Sea into flying tatters of foam. The stints at the oars were shortened; for the labor was very hard; the younger lads were set two to an oar, and Inuyasha took his turn with the others as he had since they left Onzhou. They labored among the waves that ran like smoking mountains under the wind, while the rain beat hard and cold on their backs, and the drum thumped through the noise of the storm like a heart thumping.

A man came to take his place at the oar, sending him to the ship's master in the bow. "Can ye abate this wind?" he shouted above the storm.

"No," Inuyasha answered.

"Have ye craft with iron?"

He meant, could Inuyasha make the compass-needle point their way to Okinawa, making the magnet follow not its north but their destination. That skill was a secret of mages, and again he said no.

So to the beat of the drum they rowed wearily forward, tossed around by the high and treacherous seas. Clouds hung dark to north and east and south a mile over where they were. But over Okinawa, stars were coming out one by one in a clear and quiet sky.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pretty short, wasn't it? I hope it wasn't bad writing, though; I did it in a relatively rushed amount of time. Shall I explain things to you again of the story?

I KNOW you're wondering who the hell Suijin is, right? Right? Right? Okay, Suijin is the omnificient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and well, yeah you get the picture. He's the all-seeing Japanese god of the oceans. Thought it would apply, since Inuyasha traveled by ocean to Goshinboku.

Who's wondering what Port Kibou means? (I'm guessing you want to know the "kibou" part, heh.) Okay. "Kibou" in common Romaji means hope. Ta-Da. Port Hope is supposed to be symbological inspiration. You know, a lighthouse shining a beacon is rekindled hope for storm-worn sailors, so…

Buraindo? I wouldn't be surprised if a few of you guessed this: BLIND. The Japanese do that to a lot of words, taking English pronunciation and tweaking it slightly. Same with "real" (riaru) and "meet" (mito). Anyways.

Shinkyou. In the simplest terms, it means "faith."

Does that answer your questions?

Domain of Omni-Everything God of Sea…

Port Hope…

_Blind Faith. _

Hrm, maybe the good happy words are misleading to what lies ahead??? I wonder.

Oh, I almost forgot to explain the Hsien. Let's say, for example, that the Chinese treated the Hsien as the British once treated Australia. China, unpopulated, was the place to send soldiers, prisoners, exiles, and adventurers. The Chinese intermarried with the local tribes, the Hsien. It was only in the Mongolian Invasion that the Chinese began to thoroughly colonize China. The Hsien were considered barbarians, always at war with each other, but eventually their kind became extinct as they intermarried the Chinese. However, at the time that this story is taking place, they STILL exist.

Not too confusing on all this? Moving quick enough for you? Moving TOO quick? Let me know. I love reviews.

-Alohaturtle


	3. Shadows of the Night

Must resist putting plot in author's note! Lol. Must…not…succumb to…Yeah, anyways. I better begin the next chapter before I hurt myself. Here goes.

-

**CHAPTER III: Shadows of the Night**

Inuyasha was planning to sleep on the _Shinkyou _one last night, the night he arrived. He climbed onto the bunk, set his head down on the pillow, and pulled the covers over him. He was ready to revive his energy in sleep.

Suddenly one of the young sailors burst in the room to tell him that he would go up to the Seminary now.

He rubbed his eyes. Inuyasha was just about ready to slip into dreamless rest, and was already tired from the day's work. Even the straw stuffing in the mattress looked a bit promising.

He didn't question it, though. The hanyou picked up his bag, patted the sailor on the back as a way of goodbye, and walked out of the forecastle.

Once on the main deck, a large gust of wind swooped into his chest, alerting his senses a little.

He was greeted with good wishes from the friends he had made at sea, and envious looks from those he did not befriend. He recognized their sneers. It was the type you, or he, got every day in Hosusori.

At the gangplank, a figure cloaked in white stood holding a lantern, a tormented fleck of light held on the wind-lashed moor.

Inuyasha followed his guide, who led him up a series of wooden platforms built into the side of the cliff.

He tried to get a good look at her; he knew it was a girl because of her fresh scent. And the hand that gripped the lantern handle was delicate, fragile. Shadows fell over her face.

Inuyasha looked up. Thunderheads were forming, and the waning moon fell in hiding, its crescent glistening through patches of storm cloud.

The wind howled by them a series of time. He exhaled a burst of white mist into the crisp night. On the air Inuyasha could smell a trace of demon.

He was slightly alarmed; when the scent of demons aside from the few at Hosusori could be caught on the wind, it usually meant rivaling clans coming at an attempt to ravage the court.

He contemplated the meaning of it, subconsciously following behind the girl with a pattern of winding steps.

_Well, of course. _

Inuyasha had hardly thought about it before, but the seminary was bound to school the tame ones. However, the ones who were civil enough to seek education were the ones, he supposed, who were the most dangerous.

In fact, it was likely that all the students were youkai of some sort.

But-This girl…Assuming that she was a student here…

She was not a demon. Inuyasha couldn't sense a single drop of demon blood in her. No aura of it, either.

Her scent held that of a human youth's.

But also-something more. Definitely.

Inuyasha couldn't define it. But not knowing made him doubtful. And the tiniest part of his conscience said he would face more of this uncertainty as time went on.

He could hardly see past the top of the cliff, not to mention the flight of platforms, so he kept his eye on his guide, and the flickering lantern light.

Thunder rolled in the distance, but he wasn't eager to get inside. Life at sea had taught him to love the elements.

At the end of the platforms, after a good while of walking, they came to the mouth of a cave, a deep, dank opening which made Inuyasha consider searching for a trap or something sinister in the shadows.

Inuyasha's guide raised the lantern into the elusive opening, the combined light from the moon sifting behind the clouds tossing their two shadows onto the cave walls.

He felt a little relieved, perhaps since knowing where the wall was gave him a better sense of dimension.

The girl stopped, set her lantern down on the cold cave floor and knelt beside it. Then, cupping her hand close to the glass, concealing the orange glow, she tilted her head in close and whispered something quietly.

She got up again, and Inuyasha could've sworn that once she held the lantern up, the intensity of the light had grown.

Inuyasha was led down the passage until the moonlight no longer seeped in, and the sound of steady footsteps began careening off the walls.

Then they took a turn into the passage, and in one corner there stood an unimpressive little door of wood.

A bent over, scrawny little man guarded the door, standing upright and to attention, with one hand gripped loosely on a zanbatou, what the Japanese called the Dae-han's version of a halberd. Clothed in the green robes of a sage, he stood firmly and nodded to the girl.

She now left his side, taking the only source of light in the tunnel with her as she opened and passed through the door.

So he was left in complete and total darkness, until the old man spoke. "I am the doorkeeper. Enter if you can."

Only pausing to take a thought as to if he was approaching the door or not, he stepped forward. Again and again. And again; until he was positive that by now he should have reached the door. He stretched his arms out. Nothing. Not the wood panels of the door or the bronze of the doorknob.

Yet, he felt as if he still stood in the exact same spot where he had started. He was sure even if blind in darkness.

"I can't enter," he said begrudgingly, "unless you help me."

The doorkeeper answered mildly, "Speak your name."

Inuyasha understood now. He came from a world of diplomats, war campaigns, and samurai. He was free to speak his name because those of Hosusori could not use it against him. A man of true power never spoke his own name aloud here, until more than his life's safety was at stake.

He supposed in the lives of mages, sorceresses, and combaters, disclosing your name to an enemy meant certain death. If you gave a man your name, you gave him your identity. Knowing someone's identity meant being able to harness their soul.

So this doorway was a test of the will to take that risk.

For the knowledge within.

The staff of the seminary couldn't touch him; it just meant that if he broke the laws of the academy, they could take certain means to punish him.

So he spoke his name loud and clear. "Inuyasha."

There was the sudden sound of a gear inside turning. Inuyasha thought that was odd; he supposed it would've been controlled by magic.

The girl was waiting for him inside. She had taken off her hood. He could see that her eyes were a deep and bottomless umber brown, the way the orange glow of the candelabras hit it. Her chest-length hair was raven black, with an intriguing luster in them. She had fair skin, and a golden earring on each ear, though he noticed that one continued in a series of beads and dangling diamonds.

Inuyasha noticed with some annoyance that she was gazing up at the ears nestled nicely at the top of his head. He made a slight coughing sound- as if to remind her that staring was extremely rude.

In fact, he was on the verge of saying something quite rude himself, but her eyes left his ears, and she spoke first.

"You might've guessed," she started softly, "that we do not use our names here at Goshinboku. You should decide yours now."

"Decide?" Up until now he had taken it as a given that the teachers would assign names.

"Of course. What do they call you?"

"Inu-" he started to say his name, just by a reflex.

"What?" she asked when he did not complete his sentence. "They call you 'dog?'"

_That's half of it…_

"No…Just call me Inu…Inu-Shijou." (A/N: Go to the cliffnote to find out what that means!) He had remembered his father often calling him that, or referring to that.

"Inu-Shijou it is," the girl said cheerfully. "If we ever meet around the campus, you can call me Miko."

"You're a priestess?"

"Yes. Or, I used to be. I protected the temple shrine in my village. But the teachers all say I should aspire to higher things now." She gave a wave of the hand, as if to dismiss the thought.

He looked down the dim passageway, curiously.

"Say, how old are you?"

"Sixteen years," he answered impatiently. Inuyasha was tired and eager to rest.

"I see. You'll probably be taking a few combat lessons with me, then." Miko smiled, and Inuyasha thought she looked unnaturally happy to be spending time with a hanyou. Even most ningens regarded half-breeds with disgust. They were ones to talk, the weak bastards.

"Mmm." He made a sound of compliance. Although she didn't look sixteen.

Anyways, being quiet was probably the quickest way to get her to shut up and go.

Miko stood there a little while longer looking detachedly at his ears, then led the way down the corridor.

-

Well, it had gotten her to go, but she talked the whole way. Not excessively, but Inuyasha was just tired. Somehow her friendly manner acted as a repel to him.

At the end of the passageway they reached a series of stairs, which led up to an unlocked trapdoor. Miko swung the door over their heads and gestured to the hallway now in front of him. Inuyasha was slightly surprised at how close the rooms were to the exit.

"These are the private student dormitories. Follow me."

It reminded him faintly of the apartments that his father gave to the daimyos and their families. The shoji bamboo wall screens, slide-open doors.

"This one," she said abruptly. Miko had stopped in front of a room. "Open it."

Inuyasha stepped ahead and slid the door open quietly. He took a look inside. Although private, the dormitory was extremely small, barely enough space for a cloth mattress to be rolled out across the floor.

"Sleeping quarters. You won't be spending a whole lot of time here. The rooms are sealed, so nobody can enter your room except you. The Ward was hoping to see you tonight, but it's fairly late."

Inuyasha stepped inside his room. "Thanks, Miko," he said, with an idea of how awkward this nicknaming would be.

She smiled again affably.

"Goodnight, Inu-Shijou," she answered, perfectly comfortable. "I'll come collect you in the morning."

Miko turned and began to walk away as Inuyasha shut the door and looked around his new home. He threw his bag onto the floor near the door, and sat down against the far wall, stepping over the floor mat quickly.

Perhaps it was the natural animal instinct that made him sit with his sword at near grasp; or the apprehension his new surroundings gave him. But finally, his eyelids growing heavier by the minute, he was taken away slowly and quietly by night and sleep.

-

Wow! I impressed myself this chapter! Guess what, no author's note to explain stuff except that one to tell you to read the cliffnote!

First of all, cliffnotes are very very important! Why are some of you emailing me with questions that are answered in the cliffnotes? WHY? Okay, before I go crazy.

I suppose it was smart of me to tell you to go the cliffnote. But you had to, right? To find out what Shijou meant, right?

In simple terms-and I'm going to try to explain this to you guys VERY SIMPLY- Shijou means supremacy.

The direct translation sounds very awkward, doesn't it, Inu-Shijou? Dog-Supremacy.

Sounds like a horror movie to me.

Just kidding. There is another explanation. In Japanese, Shijou is a very delicate word. When attached to certain words, (Can you believe it, I did research.)the term refers to the tendency for a certain race or ethnic group to be superior.

I so get symbolism.

There is a certain amount of irony put into this metaphor. In fact, it's supposed to be. It's intended, let me assure you.

By _dog, _I'm referring directly to Inuyasha. It's not too often you hear of Inuyasha being superior to others, is it? The irony is that he's more often than not inferior.

The underdog, in other words. (Sorry, no pun intended.)

Another thing is that I think I meant ningen in that chapter somewhere. Translation: Human.

Oh, one more thing. Miko is Kagome. Kagome. Kagome Kagome Kagome. Not Kikyou. I don't hate Kikyou, but she's always come off as a cold character to me. I could never imagine her being that friendly.

I hope that cleared up some stuff for you. Until the next time I update…

Bye! LEAVE REVIEWS!

Alohaturtle


	4. In Spirit of Victory

Ugh. I know I haven't updated regularly, like I (stupidly) promised. It was a very futile attempt. But here's a chapter. I tried to make it a decent length, and wound up with this. Hope it isn't so daunting for all of you. It's a bit confusing for me, since I've written the plot out with characters with different names and such. Well, read on and enjoy.

-

**CHAPTER IV: In Spirit of Victory**

Inuyasha had woken up early-earlier than usual, in fact, to the sound of raucous thuds thundering on the wall at his feet.

His eyes burst open and his body snapped up to a rigid upright sitting position. He swept away the blanket, then grasped the rough texture of his fire rat haori, rolled up next to his black sleeping mat.

While he pulled it on over his off-white shirt he wore to sleep, he crawled to the wall, where his neighbor in the next room was pummeling himself against it.

Other students were waking up, as well; he heard them get up angrily, roused from sleep they did not wish to wake from, and begin railing at whatever creature lay thrashing in the next room.

Inuyasha looked warily at the ceiling; dust from in between the cracks of the wall had been knocked out into the room.

He had a feeling that spells were cast to keep the rooms from being demolished; the keepers of the seminary would probably have to do such things to keep powerful demons in check.

_While they were at it_, he thought, _they could have put in a sound barrier._

The noise had eventually snared the attention of a passing teacher. The loud talk of the students halted in a decreasing swell like the swift breath before harbor waves come crashing down.

Inuyasha slid his door open to see what ensued.

"Azakeru," said the young woman teacher sternly, her lips pursed. "Do you have an explanation for this behavior?"

"Pardon, a terminal disease of mine it is, Master Herbal," the boy said mock-meekly, bowing his head.

The students gathered around Azakeru's room had begun to look strangely at Inuyasha, who carefully avoided their demon gazes.

"And what would this disease be?" the woman raised her eyebrows.

She had, no doubt, heard numerous student excuses over her allotted years. Anyone who thought she was the age she looked was a simple fool.

"The wasting sickness, from the continent," supplied someone from the crowd, laughing.

"From Europe?"

"It's called the Plague, isn't it?"

"Something…"

Enormous amounts of chatter surrounded the subject.

"Enough!" said the woman.

It surprised Inuyasha that she could quiet the whole mass of students with her small voice. Perhaps it was the strict tone that did it.

"Allergies," replied the boy.

"And to what, Azakeru?"

Azakeru ceased to pretend to be apologetic any longer. His humbled face split into a smile.

"Hanyou," he said, roaring with laughter.

The growing number of scrutinizing eyes glancing at Inuyasha had increased immediately. The smart ones, or at least the ones with better senses of smell, had noticed it long before, and had pointed him out to their friends, but now he felt overwhelmed.

He had gotten used to the scornful stares at Hosusori Court, but it compared to nothing here, where he now stood under the glares of his peers, and perhaps superiors.

The best he could do was return the glower, but hardly any backed away from it, as the courtiers sometimes did.

The talk was permeated with rumors, and it did not go away quickly, even after Master Herbal had chastised Azakeru, but Inuyasha stayed at the door until every one of them had left.

He was not a coward. He could prove that much now.

-

Miko came around less than half an hour later, knocking on the screen door of Inuyasha's room. He rolled over, got up, and slid the door open.

"You could just come in," he said sullenly. She remained standing by the door in a scarlet hakama, the type shrine maidens typically wore. Her hair was free, not tied at the nape of her neck or swept away into her hood, like last night.

"Can't. There's a discontainment spell over all the rooms. Only you can go into your own."

"Well, it wasn't like I was sleeping or anything."

"I could imagine. I heard the racket in my room, and that's near the other end of these dormitory cells."

"There're more?"

"Yes. The mages have dormitories on the other side of the school, and the edge-masters take residence near the teacher's private rooms."

"Are they always like this?"

"The dogmatists? Usually." Inuyasha glared at her, eyes seething. "Sorry for the bad pun, Shijou."

"Just promise to try not to be funny anymore."

"Oh, bring your sword," she said promptly.

He initially was surprised- but then it occurred to him that nobody knew anything about him here, and the teachers must have a way to determine the strengths of a student.

It was then that he noticed that Miko had a longbow in her right hand and a quiver full of wooden arrows strapped to her back.

Inuyasha picked up his sword from where it lay next to his sleeping mat.

He stepped out of the room and thought crossly about his peers, contemplation clouding his face. "I thought I was doing myself a favor, coming here."

"Don't worry, it can't be worse than getting caught up in war back home." They began walking down the empty corridor.

"But didn't you leave your family behind to deal with the problems?"

"Family? What family?" Miko asked bitterly.

"So you don't have any, either," Inuyasha was secretly just a little bit relieved.

"No. Only the man who raised me in the village shrine, claiming he found me washed up in a straw basket in the local river."

"Do people normally talk about their homes here?" he asked curiously.

"No. But I'm not really normal."

"I could tell."

"A fine nose the doggy has."

Inuyasha growled in protest of being called a "doggy."

Miko laughed.

"It's only natural that you and I be friends, don't you think? You're an inu-hanyou with an inferior complex, and I'm a weak human priestess."

"Inferior complex!" he nearly shouted.

"Oh, please. 'Shijou?' It's obvious to me."

"But then again, you're not normal," Inuyasha said, gritting his teeth.

"Don't you dare make me eat my own words," Miko replied.

They continued talking as they walked along the corridor. A figure came into sight at the end of a darkened hallway.

Inuyasha recognized Sesshoumaru in an instant. He was the spitting image of Inutaisho, his father. He had pieces of spiked stone shoulder guards extending from shining breastplate armor. Sesshoumaru went out of his way to look elegant and noble; he wore the finest white hakama with red patterns of the nightshade flower running along the edges his hemmed sleeves. The whole outfit was brought together with a yellow sash embroidered with black sewing of rivers and storm clouds.

He had with him two contemptuous-looking subordinates who wore the same sort of clothing as him, but also a woman. Inuyasha eyed her closely. She had an aquiline face, dangling bead earrings, and two gray feathers in her hair, which he could see when she turned and held up an oversized fan over her crimson lips.

To both his and Miko's surprise, it was not Sesshoumaru who spoke first; it was the woman.

"At home in Hokkaido I heard much about hanyous, and never in praise." The woman lowered her fan to reveal a derisive smile. Here now we have a half-breed, so yearning to prove himself...All weapon spells are strong here, puppy. Show us a trick, if you will."

"You should not talk to him like that. Shijou has either skill or power, else the doorkeeper would have kept him out," protested Miko, impatient to move on. At the same time she tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve in order to subdue him, sensing his pent-up anger.

"Then why should he not show it?" Sesshoumaru spoke, his voice loud and deep.

"Yeah, now seems like a good time," said Inuyasha, gripping the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

Miko now gripped his arm. "Good time or not, our agenda doesn't permit us to play games right now."

"Why not?" Sesshoumaru challenged.

"Sorcery..." Kagome began determinedly, "is not a game. I don't play it for praise or for pleasure, and neither should Inu-Shijou."

The woman stepped forward, smiling wider.

"What do you play it for-money?"

Seeing that a further exchange of harsh words could result in nothing better, Miko moved on, dragging Inuyasha with her, and leaving Sesshoumaru and his friends laughing their scorning laughter.

-

Miko clearly did not wish to give up a fight, either. She looked stubborn and angry the rest of the time she guided him around Goshinboku.

"Your brother…" she said, "he is an ass!"

"How did you know?" Inuyasha asked. "I didn't talk about my home."

"Oh, it's something I can't explain. You two, you're both made of the same fire. I just happen to see it." Miko blushed, and he didn't know why. Most likely she was embarrassed about her odd "gift." But it soon turned into a cheerful smile.

"What's his name? Here, I mean?"

"Seishou," she replied.

Inuyasha thought it was odd how his assumed name should sound so similar to his real one.

"And the people he was with?"

"The two men, Taka and Kurohyou."

"They're not really the ones I'm worried about."

"Fair judgement. They're really just brute strength. They don't know a spell from sandstorm."

"What's the woman's name?"

"Tatsugami."

"Any relation? To Taka, I mean."

"No…Taka and Kurohyou are brothers, though. We never talk about home, though, so I don't know much more about them. Tatsugami's dangerous, though."

"As is Sesshou-"

Inuyasha stopped short. It occurred to him at once that his brother's name was different here, so he should not use it. But he also noticed that he could not pronounce "Sesshoumaru" any further.

This was strange to him. Somehow, had his brother's name been stolen from him? The doorkeeper must have had some sealing spell in order to protect the students of the school.

Miko didn't notice. How convenient it was that his brother's name meant victory. (A/N: Read the footnote to see what I mean.)

-

Miko left him in the room with the old man, seated and silent, meditating on a mat at the other end of the room.

Sitting cross-legged, the man wore a indigo besuto vest over a dark gray hakama with short sleeves. His whitened hair was tied high on the back of his head with a black ribbon. His face sagged a little and his black eyes seemed to be lost in all the creases of skin around them. He looked at Inuyasha with an expression that spoke only apathy.

Inuyasha looked at him expectantly, expecting him to speak. He said nothing. Inuyasha then sat down across from him, continuing to stare. He wasn't content to let the man keep his silence.

He had long since learned that when something was going on, and he didn't know what, that he could find out more by waiting than by asking.

However, patience wasn't a part of Inuyasha. He went to the door to leave the room, seeing that sitting here would do nothing but waste time. The door knob would not budge.

He looked back at the old man, then decided to try again.

"All right," he said, giving up. "Why's the door locked?"

The old man continued to look at him blankly.

It seemed to go on for hours. Inuyasha refused to speak and the old man seemed to be a mindless mute. The longer it went on, with no one coming to the door, the more certain he became that this was something deliberate, meant to disconcert him.

Inuyasha did not want to give the man the victory.

Suddenly the old man's hand shot out and caught Inuyasha's ankle just as he was walking around the large room, pulling him off his feet and landing him heavily on the floor.

Inuyasha leapt to his feet immediately, furious. He found the old man sitting calmly, cross-legged, not breathing heavily, as if he had never moved. Inuyasha stood poised to fight, but the man's immobility made it impossible for him to attack. What, kick the old man's head off? And then explain it to the other teachers. Oh, the old man tripped me, so I had to get even.

Finally, tired and angry at this wasted hour, two hours, day, a prisoner in this room, Inuyasha sat down in a chair so he wouldn't have to face the old man. He set his sword down.

He suddenly felt a hand jab roughly into his side and another hand grab his hair.

In a moment he had been turned nearly upside down. His face and shoulders were being pressed into the floor by the old man's knee, while his back was excruciatingly bent and his legs were pinioned by the old man's arm.

Inuyasha was helpless.

"All right," he gasped. "You win."

The man's knee thrust painfully downward. "Since when," asked the man, his voice soft but rasping, "do you have to tell the enemy when he has won?"

Inuyasha remained silent.

"I surprised you once, Inu-Shijou. Why didn't you destroy me immediately afterwards? Just because I looked peaceful? You turned your back on me. Stupid. You have never had a teacher." The old man sighed.

Inuyasha was angry now, and made no attempt to control or conceal it. "I've had too many teachers, how was I supposed to know you'd turn out to be a-"

"An enemy?" whispered the old man. "I am your enemy. There is no teacher but the enemy. And from now on I am your teacher."

Then the old man let his legs fall, which hit the surface of the wooden floor with a loud crack and sickening pain. The old man stood and let him rise.

On all fours, Inuyasha lashed out with his right arm, reaching for the man, who quickly danced back and shot his leg forward to catch Inuyasha on the chin.

Inuyasha's feet smashed into the old man's other leg, who fell in a heap. Inuyasha got up and kicked the man square on the spine of his back. The old man rolled over close enough to land blows on his back and arms.

_And I thought he was senile, _Inuyasha thought.

Finally he managed to pull away and scramble back near the table, grabbing his sword sheath.

"Oh, ho. Better this time, boy. But slow. Lesson learned?"

Inuyasha nodded slowly. He ached in a thousand places, all at once.

The old man got up and walked to the door, his face contorted with pain. He seemed disabled, but Inuyasha still didn't trust him. Yet in spite of his suspicion he was caught off guard by the old man's speed.

Ina moment he found himself on the floor near the chair, his nose and lip bleeding where his face had hit the floor. He was able to turn enough to see the old man standing in the doorway, wincing and holding his back. The old man grinned.

-

Ah, yes. The time has come again for footnotes.

"The Plague." The Black Plague, The Bubonic Plague, whatever. This story happens in about the same time period.

Just a tidbit. "Azakeru" is a derivative of the Japanese word for "scorn." Thought it would apply.

Scarlet hakama. This is the costume that Kikyou and all other priestesses of the time wear.

For Sesshoumaru….

"Seishou" means "victory" in Japanese. Or, "He Who Is Victorious." Or something like that.

For Sesshoumaru's goonies…

"Taka"…"Hawk" in Japanese.

"Kurohyou"…"Panther" in Japanese.

"Tatsugami"…"Tornado" or "whirlwind" in Japanese. This is important! This woman is KAGURA!

Maybe you don't understand the importance of the struggle between Inuyasha and his new teacher. If it makes you feel any better, neither do I. :)

Alohaturtle

I'll continue to write if you continue to R&R!

So, press the pretty little button.

v


	5. The Winners, the Losers, and the Opponen...

I started this document a month ago and only just finished it! Wahhhh! Now I have to do a chapter for Housekeeper and Me!

Well, enjoy.

-

**CHAPTER V: Sorting the Winners, the Losers, and, More Importantly,Your Opponents **

The old man, of course, hadn't really caused any lasting damage to his body, but Inuyasha still was filled with the lingering sense of defeat and humiliation.

The tutoring began quickly- the man was a skillful teacher. Inuyasha was startled by the fact that he was human; Inuyasha easily detected this at their first meeting. He wore the distinct ningen smell, but as one who could pummel an inu-hanyou, even inexperienced, he was something far greater.

No doubt he was respected by all the other entities of the school, whether youkai or human or a hanyou like Inuyasha. But another oddity of the old man was his reclusive nature. The only time Inuyasha saw him was when he came to his hermitage for a lesson. The old man was spoken of with reverence universally or at least within the confines of the Goshinboku Seminary.

He was nameless, or at least he hadn't told Inuyasha any names of his. Inuyasha simply referred to him as "Sensei-sama." He wished that he had used his blade more often and to better use before he came, when he still was at Hosusori- his teacher was constantly claiming victory against him in their spars.

Inuyasha was all right. When this first started happening, he had almost expected nightmares. _That's right, I was beaten by a man sixty years my senior._

_Several times. _

Inuyasha told this ashamedly to Miko, who had been bugging him about it in the first place while they walked at a quick and nervous pace to his first combat class. As usual, she had come to collect him in the late morning, long after Inuyasha had woken. It was better that way; they could avoid the attention of the youkai students heading towards breakfast but not be late for lessons and such.

He told her the part about him thinking Sensei-sama a senile old crab, which elicited a quick and gentle glint of something in her deep brown eyes.

_She had better not be laughing at me, _he thought, when she started to muffle a peal of laughter.

He blurted out his thoughts. "Feh, wench, if you had seen him…"

Miko looked rather angered at this, but she also looked like she was in control of her emotions, as he saw her glare dissipate fairly quickly. She gave a small shake of her head, which sent her raven hair spinning around her like long bristling ribbons.

"I have seen him," she replied simply, turning the other way, not looking at him for some time. After a dim and thoughtful silence she chirped, "He is my teacher."

Inuyasha waited for her to continue, for her to say what he didn't expect. And she did. "He is everyone's teacher, Shijou. He is the best."

He started to ask, "Has he beaten everyone?" but she interrupted politely, to calm him down.

"He has beaten everyone…In one way or another."

"Does that put us on the same level, then, Miko?"

She caught the disdain in his voice. "I suppose so," she answered challengingly, like she had more to say.

They continued walking, and in absence of their talk of Sensei-sama were the hurried sounds of their footsteps.

"Even my brother?" Inuyasha asked, unable to hold back his questions.

"It's good that you can admit that your brother is stronger than you. That's been pestering you for a while," she bantered.

"When did I say that?"

"Oh, you know you said it. But, anyways, Seishou came like you did- failure humbled him greatly," Miko said, choosing her words carefully.

"He probably tried to kill the old man, come to think of it," said Inuyasha broodingly, looking ahead of them into the dimly-lit hallway.

"Probably," she agreed, pulling her quiver of white-fletched arrows higher upon her shoulders. "But the thing is, no matter how good you are, you come here in a different way then you come out. Sensei-sama does that to you. Always. Because once he beats you, you are on the same level with the _others. _You start below _him."_

"I don't like it when you try to beat philosophy into me," Inuyasha sighed resignedly.

"This isn't philosophy," she snapped back. "And I'm not beating you. I'll beat you later."

Inuyasha glared. "Like you could ever beat me, wench!"

"I could," she said simply, smiling at his anger.

"And what makes you so sure?" he asked, holding up the glinting black sheath of Tetsusaiga as if to hit Miko on the head with it.

She did not flinch.

"Because I am better than you," she said cryptically.

"And what makes you so sure of _that_?" he asked, angered but intrigued by whatever ruse she had to yet reveal to him.

Miko stopped walking. They had arrived at the combat class, in front of the Sensei's huge wooden doors and students rushing to get inside. She looked as if she were contemplating whether or not to speak what she was thinking.

She decided just as Inuyasha was pushing the door open with her back, facing her.

"Because…" she started, looking at him seriously and straight in his bright yellow-ochre eyes, waiting for a response. "Because I beat Sensei-sama."

When he failed to supply a retort or remark, she moved to the side of him and walked inside.

-

Inuyasha ceased to think of this after a few moments. The great wave of students rushing into Sensei-sama's room to begin the class became a slow trickle; he was the last student to step inside.

The door wouldn't shut quietly; it stuck if he didn't force it. He was already aware of the swell of noise and bustle coming to a halt, gradually, and numerous pairs of eyes on him before he even turned around to face the class.

Determined not to look into the demeaning stares of any one youkai, he looked around the room. Even full of students, it seemed…larger.

In fact, it was. Miko had described to him several times about the sort of spells enchanted over Goshinboku Seminary.

The school itself was sealed. The only way to enter was the wooden pathway built into the cliffside near the dock. The cavern's doorkeeper guarded the only exit to the outside world.

It didn't mean that Inuyasha would never again see the light of day, however. He had also learned in the first week of the courtyard which all the classrooms and dormitories were built around. It was extremely spacious, with formidable stone pillars surrounding the nave where the sacred tree was planted. The large square patch of earth it was rooted in was not strung off by any physical boundaries, but Inuyasha as well as the other youkai knew when something was to be respected, even if not marked. The Goshinboku held a settled aura that reminded Inuyasha of guardianship, something like the patron of the seminary.

The meager furnishings that had been placed in select areas of the room had vanished; there was now only a huge circular arena in the middle of the room.

Exclusive knots of students were gathered on the outskirts of the room, along each of the walls. Even the ceiling seemed to have expanded upwards.

Inuyasha picked out Sesshoumaru's hateful smell despite the numerous others that jumped out at him. However, he couldn't see him, because the assembled students were so many in number.

Spotting Sensei-sama, Inuyasha gently put his hands together at his chin, noticing most of the other students doing the same as he came their way.

"Let's meet your opponent, Shijou," the old man said, laying a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder and ushering him towards the arena floor.

Once on the side of the large ring, he stood opposite of a girl who stood almost a foot under him. She wore something similar to a kimono, except that the blue fabric fit tighter around her figure and cut off at the shoulders. It was fastened by a lavender binding at just below the waist, which was tied in an elaborate bow at the back. She had inserted the sheaths of her two weapons into the binding.

She stepped forward and offered him a hand. He took it easily. Up close he noticed that her hair glinted the same color of her haori, with the baleful wink of lamplight.

"This is Lady Suzume," Sensei said to Inuyasha. "And this is Shijou." Then he stepped away.

Once on opposing sides of the ring, they bowed courteously to each other, each devising a plan to bring down the enemy.

Inuyasha rushed at her, sweeping Testsusaiga low from his left upwards, then recircling sharply to the side.

Suzume sidestepped off towards the right, unsheathed the left sword, and brought it in an elegant crouch to stab his shin.

Inuyahsa caught the movement, blocked the sword, shifted his weight, and forced her back. She stumbled, quickly regained, and unsheathed her right kunai dagger.

In the blink of an eye, she had vanished.

_Where did she go?_

The answer came sharply in a splitting pain below his right shoulder. Inuyasha sensed a few smirks from the crowd. Suzume jumped again, and Inuyasha raised his sword and traced it over the path he predicted would be of her flight.

Intuition struck true. Suzume continued in the air, tumbling with her hand on her abdomen. To shield her fall, she landed on her shoulder and rolled some way across the ring.

In the time that she had first struck him, she had sheathed her left dagger. She lifted her left hand from off her stomach. On the lavender sash there was a thin streak of dripping crimson.

After this she regained her composure, but Inuyasha was already coming at her. He swept his sword upwards, like his first attack.

This one hit. Suzume's small frame was sent upwards. Inuyasha slashed at her falling body effortlessly.

She stopped her fall this time with her hands, then lunged forward in a somersault kick. Inuyasha had expected her to take more time.

Suzume dashed off to the left after kicking Inuyasha in the chin and retook her blades to stab him once again.

He stopped both of her daggers, one with Tetsusaiga and the other one with his hand at the hilt. Her lavender pupils seemed to shake, contemplating what to do.

He acted first by flinging her off, then coming around in a roundhouse kick to the back of her spine.

Lady Suzume was a skilled fighter; it took no wisdom to see that. But any person with half a brain could point out her faults; there were quite a few. And an experienced warrior could turn some of her best attacks into missed opportunities, disadvantages, and so on.

She was quick- her previous jumps had displayed that well enough. Speed was probably her most valuable asset, she just hadn't trained hard and long enough to put it into effective use.

She had an interesting style that proved effective- sometimes. Hit, run away, jump, hit, jump, run away, etc. She was definitely a close-ranged fighter, because her weapons were so ridiculously short. The kunai, Inuyasha could tell, were great for offensive and defensive purposes.

But Suzume rarely needed defense, since she was so fast. Her type, he concluded, would make an excellent assassin. She was quick and efficient, and her stealth helped to a certain measure. She was also a woman. A certain advantage in a world where men did the killing. It could definitely catch some people off guard.

But her power was over those with none.

The problem was with opponents who could outrun her or predict where she was going. She had not practiced confrontations. The defensive sculpting of the small kunai meant nothing.

It was interesting to toy with the inner workings of an opponent.

Suzume staggered to her feet. By now she should have created her own idea of Inuyasha.

New determination glinted in her eyes. She leapt forward in a high unnatural somersault.

Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga in a slightly bored manner to block whatever attack she had coming.

Her next move put him at a disadvantage. She had jumped so high that after flipping over, her feet could still reach his head. It was just the range she wanted.

She nearly landed on his sword, shunting it out of the way. But since her body was still rotating forward, she gathered her kunai and held them out as she fell.

In midair, they seemed to gather a strange sort of energy on the edge of their blades. The energy manifested in a bright lavender enigma of flame.

It was a perfect hit. Two dark streaks of blood appeared on either side of his chest. Inuyasha somehow thought that the lavender energy had something to do with the potency of her attack.

Then Suzume moved to the right in one of those elaborate windmill kicks.

Inuyasha hardly paid any attention to his bleeding. He healed quickly; the demon blood in his veins took care of that. But, if anything, Suzume had healed faster. She was also a demon. He was sure.

But so far it only showed in her speed. The students were not allowed to transform during sparring matches. If Suzume had, Inuyasha figured she would be some sort of bird. Quick. Elegant. But not a threat.

With one fluid movement, his opponent rushed at him with both daggers facing him, a confrontational rush of accuracy.

He felt little, even as the kunai went through his skin. She must have forgotten…He was still holding Tetsusaiga. That had to count for something. She seemed to pause there, looking down at where her weapons had pierced his fire-rat haori.

What was she checking for, anyways? Whether or not she hit him?

She must have thought that it was the killing blow.

Well…it was far from it.

In no time at all Inuyasha raised his sword again and jarred the hilt onto Suzume's head in a sharp blow. She remained standing, but seemed to sway a little bit. He must have knocked something around in her head.

In her dazed state, it was easy to bring his sword right next to her neck.

At this point it was understood that the sparring match was over. After all, what chance does the other fighter have when you could take their head off in a single swing?

The students often got extremely competitive, or that's what he figured from what Miko had told him, to the point where they could be striking fatal blows. Fortunately, those always seemed to miss. The seminary's specialists could heal anything. _But they could not bring anyone back from the dead. _

Each had taken a few blows. But they healed soon enough. After Sensei had taken his time to analyze the spar and point out some things about it, criticizing each combatant, a new pair of students was chosen.

He stood in the back of the room, leaning against a huge wall tapestry of a battle scene.

To his surprise, Suzume came to stand next to him. She had seemed so incredibly sore after he had beaten her, with a large pout on her face that he had not wanted to bother her. She hadn't even looked him in the eye when she shook his hand.

"I don't really think I got the chance to say an official congratulation," she told him with a serious smile. "So, congratulations."

"You're not just showing face, are you?" Inuyasha asked, only half paying attention to the spar going on.

"No. I'm sincere. Anyways, it's good that you won your first battle here at Goshinboku. I'm not sore at all."

He decided that she was much more attractive when he was not fighting with her. She still had the soft, rounded features, which seemed to clash with her deeply-rooted sense of will and determination.

"You're lying," he said.

"No, I'm not. Even though you won against someone like me, it's good you did anyways. Some kids who come here have all the technique and no experience. It shows everyone that you're a match for them, on some level."

"Well, they can find that out for themselves when they're against me," he answered scornfully. He wouldn't say it to Suzume, but in many ways she was weak and beating her didn't prove much. She said it herself. But from all he knew people don't like to hear themselves repeated.

"They all are already against you. You're a hanyou."

"And you aren't against me?" he asked skeptically.

"No. I'm not," she said bluntly. "I grew up with half-demons."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. In my household they were the servants most of the time, not humans. Believe it or not, I befriended them. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You are the best of both races."

Inuyasha made some sort of noise in dissent.

"Well, anyways, I just came over here to say thank you."

"For what? I beat you," he sneered.

"I learn from my mistakes. I make so many. I learn quickly." She shrugged. "But thank you for treating me like an opponent."

"Isn't that what you are?"

"Were. Can't we be friends now? Or at least neutral?" Suzume asked.

"Feh."

"What I mean is that most of the demons here are male, you no doubt can see that. How many are girls? I count maybe ten in the room. Their minds are so closed, you see. All of them. They come from such closed societies that they know nothing else but what they have lived," Suzume explained.

Inuyasha thought: _Stop whining. _

Inuyasha said: "Injustice is everywhere. I've gotten used to it."

"When I first came here, I must have put them off guard. The first one I fought, they call him Ookami."

"Wolf?"

"Yeah. A damned cur is what he is. But just the sight of me cracked him up, I think. He was going way too easy on me at our first confrontation. At first he was toying. He thought I wouldn't retaliate. It was stupid. I beat him anyways," she said indifferently.

"That must've showed him something."

"He's quicker than me, if you can imagine. So it really got to him that I managed to defile the sacred thing that these boys who call themselves men are so obsessed with."

"And that would be?"

"Honor. We all have it. Some more than others, though. Well, then. The next time we became sparring partners, he hadn't cooled off. Everything sort of just caught on fire again. He sent me to the herbalists for a few days."

"And what?"

"Too bad for him, he never regained his honor. But there are dozens of students just like him, you know. As much as they hate me, they hate you more," said Suzume matter-of-factly.

"Well then, I hate them," Inuyasha said carelessly.

"Right. You shouldn't care. But it's because I'm a demon. And it's so damn unspeakable that a hanyou could defeat a youkai!" Suzume pretended to be shocked.

"How long have you been here?" Inuyasha asked.

"A long time. I forget how long I've been cooped up here." She shrugged.

"I think it's made you crazy."

"Yeah, probably. It's been a while. I'll be graduating to become a sorceress soon."

He looked at her skeptically.

"I know, I know." She glared at him. "You think I'm a weakling. But the truth is I've got some of the best combat magic of anyone in this room."

"It has something to do with…"

"The purple flame. Yes. Mostly I was concentrated on you, but since I had an opportunity, I created it. The power's not full-fledged, though."

"So not everyone can do it?"

"Half of the people can, I'll tell you that much. Usually they're the smarter ones," Suzume said, smiling.

"Like you," Inuyasha said, rolling his eyes.

"Exactly. I'm friends with some of them, too. Not all demons are bad people." She shrugged. "Just thought I'd give you some advice. You're likely to be at the Seminary a while, too."

"What's the advice?" asked Inuyasha.

"Did I forget anything?" She thought silently. "Oh, just never compromise with the bad ones here. Stand your ground, stick up for what you believe in, and don't expect them to go easy on you just because you've got half the power that they do."

He glowered at her.

"Well, are we friends then?" Suzume said apathetically.

"Neutral," Inuyasha said sternly, watching her smile at his answer and walk away.

-

Footnotes. Not a long one. I'm so tired! Over 3000 words in one sitting? I could barely do it this time. If I could have my way, I would never do footnotes again! But you reviewers like them. And I cater to my audience. Though they like to see me suffer.

Suzume means "sparrow" in Japanese. Hah! Inuyasha was right! She was a bird! o.O

Review. Now. I bite, you know.

V


	6. Potential

REALLY important chapter, people! So read carefully!

-

**Chapter VI: Potential**

Inuyasha seemed to be carving his own history into that of Goshinboku Seminary. The nicer, more considerate youkai mentioned it to him. Miko told him several times a week, though she also complimented him whenever he needed consoling.

As far as his knowledge went, he was the only hanyou to have attended the seminary for a century. Sensei-sama frequently told him that he showed much promise, and that he could probably graduate to the rank of mage in matters of a year or two.

That excited him, but he also knew that it was probably true. Every year, the teachers selected up to five beginner students to graduate. He had seen them, and Inuyasha knew his power rivaled theirs.

Easily.

The nights of the new moon went always seemed to pass in slow motion, though nobody could really hurt Inuyasha here without being punished. His sense of grave danger that night of every month woke to a new height. His hair…black, his fangs gone, his claws disappeared…It took no wise man to know how vulnerable he was at the turning of the cycle.

Miko soon found out about this condition, but he supposed it couldn't be avoided. She was really his only friend, but one quite loyal. They generally enjoyed each other's company.

Generally.

So far in his year at Goshinboku Seminary, Inuyasha had fought a variety of youkai students. It seemed he fought more frequently than most of the other students.

No doubt Sensei-sama could afford to teach them a lesson to rid them of their arrogance. Inuyasha had won every single spar.

The next student after Lady Suzume had been one named Azakeru, the boy who was next door to Inuyasha's sleeping quarters and had made the racket about him being a hanyou on his first day here. He soon found out that Azakeru was sharp-witted, and had some interesting techniques that he had to learn to get around.

But he was also mostly talk. Inuyasha hadn't beaten him quickly, but when he finally understood the way Azakeru's blade-tipped whip worked, he had beaten him thoroughly and easily.

-

His next opponent was the boy named Kurohyou. Inuyasha recognized him and his smell easily; it could often be found wafting around Sesshoumaru. Like his name, "panther," would easily imply, Kurohyou's greatest asset was not his speed, like Suzume's had been, but his stealth.

When Inuyasha's mind was turned somewhere else, Kurohyou would take advantage of it by sprinting to his undefended side, and striking.

Another interesting thing Inuyasha learned from this spar was that a weapon could play a key role in a battle; Kurohyou's thin sword had an enormous reach, nearly one and a half the length of Inuyasha's untransformed Tetsusaiga. It made a great weapon for piercing armor, and Inuyasha didn't have any, so injuries inflicted were deep and serious. But the sword was also very unwieldy. Kurohyou often lost his balance holding his sword. It was a flaw that Inuyasha could easily take advantage of; Tetsusaiga was perfect to wield, and by now he knew it well.

-

Next after Kurohyou was a fierce girl named Kairi, whose mercenary parents were rumored to have been killed by rivals in the trade. Having another girl for an opponent didn't throw Inuyasha off; he treated all his sparring partners the same. Her beauty was offset by her severe expressions and a six-foot glaive she used as her sparring weapon.

She wielded the weapon like an expert halberdier would, but the weight of the glaive made her movements slow. Lack of speed went in turn with stealth, so Inuyasha could always see her attacks.

The problem was avoiding them. She had a large stock of ground-based techniques at her dispersal, so Inuyasha was constantly getting tripped and prodded in the feet.

Along with her hate for men apparently went a hate for their extremities. Several times during the match Inuyasha heard the watching students shout in unison, "Groin, groin!" Inuyasha decided not to let anybody have the satisfaction of seeing him beaten, and in that way.

Since he was much quicker than Kairi, he had her down in a series of swift attacks, although hindered by the pain of her glaive. Not surprisingly, she stayed stern even after the match, but she was a fair loser. Slowly Inuyasha began to see how women took losing differently from their male counterparts.

-

His next opponent was the man Suzume had warned him about: Wolf, also called Ookami. It was his hardest opponent so far. Wolf was a strange fighter; he had a sword hooked onto his furry belt, but never seemed to use it. So his fighting regimen consisted of only two things: strength and speed.

As the son of the Master of the Wolf Demon Clan somewhere in Onzhou, he had mastered his agility, and used it in ways most effective. It was strange to think there could be someone faster than Suzume, but there he was. The cur called Inuyasha Inu-koro, meaning "dog-turd," saying that dogs, especially inu-hanyous, gave him heartburn.

Ookami had little airborne fighting ability, as Suzume had with her two kunai, so he mostly ran around Inuyasha in circles, daring to put out a punch whenever he became confused. It was most humiliating to be beaten to the ground with only a punch here or a kick there, but Inuyasha soon learned a way to counter Ookami's running.

He had a well enough sense to know which direction Ookami was running, and so he spun with his sword in the opposite direction. This counter was completely effective; though it hit only the first two times Inuyasha used it, it made Ookami lose his balance and whatever plan that ensued in running in circles.

Instead, he became the confused one, hopping around from here to there. Inuyasha also learned that he paid less attention to things while at top speed, which made him very vulnerable.

It was uncoordinated, to say the least, and since Ookami was nearly completely defenseless in the air, Inuyasha could slash at him all he wanted, and defeated him before Ookami really got the sense of what was happening.

And because the bastard had dared to call Inuyasha a dog-turd, more amounts of spite had arisen between them than all his other opponents put together. Later, Inuyasha would learn that Ookami loved Miko, which would just heighten the ferocity of their rivalry.

-

With the forthcoming advance of spring was the tradition of Goshinboku Seminary, a full day of celebration. It was known as the Festival of Sunreturn, to rejoice at simply that- the sun's return to reign over earth.

Miko said the whole day was full of festivities, talent shows, and guests from afar. New decorations adorned the entire school- banners of blazing red and gold, the literal emblems of Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun and leader of the Shinto pantheon.

She was right about that, for sure. All the students at the school, training to become warriors and commanders and spellbinding mages, suddenly forgot themselves for a day and became children once again.

Sunreturn meant twenty-four hours of brilliant red and flashing gold kimonos. The girls, who usually spent most of their time training to outspar their counterparts and becoming incredibly tomboyish and sharp-witted, wore delightfully feminine hakamas, like decent versions of geishas.

It amused Inuyasha that it seemed that only he and Miko hadn't changed outfits. Perhaps it was because they already wore enough red. Or perhaps it was that they didn't care.

Inuyasha was antisocial by nature of his hanyou blood; but ironically, he had spent his entire life trying to make humans of demons recognize him. He figured he could do at least that, since they would never could ever tolerate him.

As much as he hated the cliché, Inuyasha was a lone warrior, a communal outcast, who had long gotten over the hopes of acceptance and love. From rejection he pulled together a new determination, to be the best, to carve out his place in life.

…And he would do it alone…

Alone? Maybe he wasn't alone anymore. He had made a good friend out a Miko, though he could never begin to understand why she had approached the idea of a friendship in the first place.

Perhaps the two were not so different; he could also see in her the desperation derived from loneliness. She was so gentle, yet; he had seen her in a moment of target practice.

Working a fierce red flame into her white-fletched arrow as she notched it onto her longbow, she let go and hit a target 30 yards across Sensei's enchanted room. Hitting the bull's-eye, the flames wrapped around the face of the target. Then, having been so absorbed in the archery, she just looked up and saw Inuyasha. She had smiled weakly, he remembered, then notched another arrow. Flying with less flame, it hit one of the outer rings on the target.

So she had the skill of archery, if not hand-to-hand combat. But he still couldn't figure out how she had beaten Sensei, if that was true. Inuyasha didn't doubt her honest, but what could she have done?

Shoot him in the leg? Or simply wait him out with patience?

A day…One whole day of marvelous jubilation…

Right now the teachers were granting the students new weapons, if they needed them. And these were not just prizes of the festival; they were brilliant handcrafted weapons. It was quite interesting to watch the students receives these deadly works of art.

Most of the boys acted thoroughly indifferent. These were the same ones who claimed that a weapon had nothing to do with an outcome of a spar. Like usual, they were wrong, and by the end of the day wore their new weapons proudly in belted sheathes around the school.

Girls were different, and seemed a lot more sincere when receiving their new weapons. He saw Suzume bow low to the ground after having received a new, longer set of kunai daggers. Maybe she would improve…He hoped to spar against her again.

For some reason, during Sunreturn, it was mandatory to attend all three meals in the grand hall. It was one of the few times Inuyasha had even been there, but it remembered him a little bit of Hosusori.

The students sifted into the room in sporadic bunches and were sorted according to their rank. Status was not only based on combat skills. Goshinboku had other divisions of magic craft, like weather working and and metal working. Combat magic was the most prestigious, however.

Inuyasha sat with Miko and most of the other students from his combat class. He made a point of avoiding the youkai that hated him particularly, but somehow ended sitting across from Ookami because the cur insisted upon sitting near Kagome.

Sensei stood up as soon as the bulk of the students were settled and had stopped talking.

"I am glad to hear that you all are enjoying the festivities Goshinboku offers. In a few minutes we will commence with our dinner feast and the ranking ceremony. Joining us for the end of the glorious festival of Sunreturn are Lord Mizaburi and his beautiful wife, rulers of the Ryukyu Islands."

Abruptly the servants ushered food out to the tables. Inuyasha didn't have much of an appetite, but most of the dinner time was spent conversing with the students at his table, which were Miko, Ookami, Suzume, and two brothers called Amiku and Gengo.

He found himself talking to Suzume most of the time, because the brothers were generally the prejudicial type, and Ookami was only interested in talking to Miko.

Sensei gestured to two figures at the head table, who stood up. The man had long, grey hair, sharp features, and a condescending look written on his face. The woman, on the other hand, had lustrous black hair hidden in a small headdress, and had a glittering jewel on her forehead. She looked kind and as if she had good humor.

"For such a one…" he heard the boy next to him say, "I could work vast enchantments." He was awestruck. Inuyasha almost saw large stars glitter in his eyes.

"She's only a woman," put in Miko, annoyed.

The brother of the awestruck boy spoke now, almost angrily at Inuyasha, as if he had offended him by saying that.

"The High Priestess Kikyou was only a woman…And for her sake, all of Onzhou was laid waste for a century of chaos, the Shogunate of the West died, and the islands of Mishiku sank deep beneath the sea," he said dramatically.

"It's only a fairy tale, Gengo," said Miko lightly, sipping her glass of water. "Don't tell me you believe in them still?"

"I've never heard of the story," interrupted Inuyasha.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's strange. It's like a part of everybody's childhood, practically…"

"So…?" asked Inuyasha.

"Oh, right, the story. Once upon a time…"

"Spare me and cut to the point," said Inuyasha abruptly.

"Fairy tales have no point," Miko objected, "So you'll just have to bear with me…But once you hear the story, it can be quite believable. Once upon a time, the island of Okinawa was a prospering land. As I remember the story going, the people were under a good ruler, trade and economy was perfect, and so on."

"Okinawa…This Okinawa?" asked Inuyasha. He could hardly imagine what she was saying. But then again, he had not seen anymore of this island than the cliffside entrance and the interior of the school.

"What other could there be?" countered Miko. "But anyways, there used to be many little villages along the coast. There was one, and I forget the name, but it was supposedly not too far from here. A girl named Kikyou grew up in the village."

"And became High Priestess?"

"Not quite. It's said that as a child she possessed extraordinary spiritual powers, and routinely drove away the demons wherever they would be. But she also traveled many miles every day to tend a tree far away from her village. She would talk to it, she would take care of it like a child of hers, but whatever happened, some of her soul was poured into the tree. And it became sacred."

"Goshin…boku?" asked Inuyasha curiously, saying the words "Sacred Tree" in the old Japanese language.

"Exactly. Goshinboku. It's still planted in the seminary. For many years, Kikyou served as the High Priestess of her local temple. When Kikyou became older, her sister volunteered to become the successor. And thus, she was freed of all responsibility. So, on her own, she began the creation of a wish she had fostered for years: to create a school that taught the arts of magic to its young students."

"Hadn't it been done before?"

"Of course, but she wished to found a school of the highest possible caliber. She easily found volunteers to build the place, and she built it around the tree Goshinboku. She found teachers of the highest magical and combat-based skill, and the teaching begun. It used to be so that the students could roam around the island, free of the confinement spells. They had originally accepted human students, and people much older. Nowadays, everyone is so adept at finding hints of magical ability that they're sent here went they're about ten years or so, but then...Magic was a very exclusive teaching.

"All went well, of course, until a human bandit named Onigumo took his first step into school. He had made a living in Onzhou from pillaging villages, and all before he reached the age of twenty-five or so. Nobody here questions a person's past, so he was admitted. Any questions?"

"No," Inuyasha said simply. "But I can guess that he was a low-life brigand, who hardly had any magical abilities but insisted the opposite. Right?"

"Right," said Miko. "It was immediately discovered. Kikyou was still something like seventeen at the time, and though it may seem strange, she did attempt to teach him. But, old dogs don't learn new tricks, right?"

Inuyasha shot Miko a look for the "dog" phrase.

"My point is that he was completely ignorant. And only stayed here because he began to fall in love with his teacher."

"But wasn't he a little…" Inuyasha searched for the words. "Out of her league?"

Miko nodded vigorously. "One time, Onigumo infuriated a youkai opponent of his. The demon sent him to the best herbalist in the school after a fierce battle- Kikyou. She basically had to nurse him back to life after what happened.

"After that…He sold his soul to demons."

"How? Didn't they have protection over that sort of thing?" asked Inuyasha incredulously.

"They do now," answered Miko gravely. "Because of what happened. He sold his soul to demons because Kikyou constantly resisted his advances, his suggestions, and the longing festered inside of him and became a crucible for the demons to take him. He allowed them to, at one circumstance: To give him the power in his reborn body to make Kikyou his.

"It was a mystery the next day, because where Onigumo's body had been there was nothing but a scorch mark on his blanket in the shape of a spider. She guessed what happened, put the school under the most protection she could spare; the rest she needed for herself."

"She left, didn't she?" he guessed.

"That's exactly what she did. She left the seminary under the other teachers' control, and fled Okinawa. From here she traveled to Onzhou, encountering Onigumo's reborn form once, and learning that it was named Naraku.

"The Shogunate of the Western Lands…That would be, your ancestor, took pity upon Kikyou's story, and offered her protection. Kikyou was better off with her own powers, but she indulged herself and stayed in his court.

"It was then learned that the priestess held a mythical object that granted unimaginable power to its user. She never used it, however; just protected it."

"What was it called?"

Miko shrugged. "To this day the object has just been called 'The Treasure.'"

"Couldn't Kikyou have used it to strengthen her powers?" Inuyasha asked, amazed that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

"Yes…and no," said Miko, beginning to play with her food. "While it granted power, the individuals who had come across it before it went into her care had tragic demises. They tended to become lost souls.

"So finally, when this truth comes out, a subordinate of the Shogun attempted to steal The Treasure from Kikyou. While Kikyou had unimaginable spiritual powers, her physical strength was that of an average woman. Not fully able to defend herself, she ran again. Because she thought that the Shogunate had ordered the act, she swore upon her spilled blood that he and the assailant would die young and in a painful manner.

"He was a victim, and died of battle wounds inflicted the next week. Naraku soon came in pursuit, and killed the subordinate. Kikyou fled to the Islands of Mishiku, a completely uninhabited territory. They met for a second time in a forest, and she blasted him with an arrow, destroying his body. His aura lingered."

"Islands of Mishiku? I've never heard of them," said Inuyasha.

"Remember, Gengo even said the Islands sank. It could be true. Maybe not. There aren't any historic accounts of it.

"Thinking he was dead, Kikyou returned to Goshinboku, but her safety was short-lived. Naraku's evil aura returned to the seminary, soon overpowering the protection upon it. Kikyou lured him away, because he wasn't after the death of the students…

"They met in the wilderness near her village. She, knowing that if arrows could affect him, they would have in their previous encounter. So Kikyou simply raised an aura shield.

"Naraku was foolish, and attempted to penetrate her shield. The purity and goodness of her aura was simply too much for him. His evil could not come in contact with her good. There was no fierce battle; he supposedly just withered away in front of her eyes.

"Kikyou could have survived then and there, but in all that happened, she realized the evil intents of The Treasure. She could not allow its existence in the world. So, she prayed her heart and soul into the jewel, like she had to Goshinboku, prayed that it would leave the earth and never come back.

"Then…she died," said Miko, with a wistful, sad smile on her face. "The villagers found her body and buried her in the cliff catacombs. The end."

-

"Not hungry?" Suzume asked Inuyasha, watching him playing with a piece of waterfowl in his honey sauce dish.

"How could you tell?" he asked. He put the waterfowl back on his plate. He was thinking about the story of Kikyou. Suzume was silent after that. Then, suddenly, she burst out.

"Hey, are you getting promoted tonight?"

"Me? Are you kidding?" Inuyasha asked incredulously. "I heard the quickest anybody green was promoted was one and a half years."

"Yeah, that's true," Suzume nodded. "But you're different, you know."

"Lucky me," Inuyasha said sullenly. He wished that he could fit in sometimes, if it would mean youkai strength.

"Lucky you," Suzume agreed. "You know, people are beginning to notice. The days you're gone, Sensei is always praising you."

"The days I'm gone? What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked in disbelief. He had tried his best to hide his…secret.

"Oh, come on. You think I haven't noticed?" she asked apathetically. "Fine, do you want me to tell you a secret of mine? To make us even?"

"I couldn't care less," he answered.

Suzume went on anyways. "Have you ever heard of faer-seers?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Everything. About my secret, anyways. Just answer the question," she said sternly.

"Never heard of them."

"Faer-seers are people who can see the fear of anyone, anything, through their eyes," Suzume said matter-of-factly.

"And…?" Inuyasha looked at her impatiently.

"And I'm a faer-seer…"

"Oh."

"Yeah. It was strange, because right after Sensei got through telling me that you were my next opponent, you walked in. And I made a point of being polite and saying hello."

"Nobody does that, I notice," he pointed out.

"Because, for one, you are a hanyou," Suzume countered, "and also because, as opponents, you must be hostile, right?"

"Whatever you say," Inuyasha said sullenly. Suzume had an annoying habit of pointing out his hanyou blood quite often, even if she didn't mean it in a bad way.

"Well, I do that every time I spar. That way, if my opponent's afraid of something I'm capable of doing, I make sure I do it during the fight."

"Isn't that…cheating?"

Suzume cringed. "You could say that. To me it's just a prior advantage. But with you, I had none. It was so strange. I looked you dead in the eye, and then…nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Did that ever happen to you before?" Inuyasha asked.

"No, never. Even the bravest of fighters I met had mortal fears. It confused me so much. Even if I can't touch a person's fear during a spar, being able to see them will tell me about-"

"What type of person they are…" he finished.

"Right. So with you, I was just so thrown off by it. I couldn't concentrate. If a fear was a flaw, I was scared you had none. I was too used to it."

"And after that, you interpreted the nothingness further and got the New Moon…" Inuyasha said.

"Exactly…"

Inuyasha sat back in his chair, thoughts racing through his brain so quickly he didn't understand them all.

"I didn't _tell _anyone, of course not," Suzume said, much to his relief.

"So no one else knows?"

"As far as _I _know. Otherwise, they'd be talking about it. The smarter ones aren't interested about you. They think you're not a threat, and so they don't care."

"As always…" Inuyasha said, returning to dipping the waterfowl into the sauce.

"But I did my research, so ha," she said finally. "Did Miko do that, too? Or did you tell her."

"Both. Neither. I don't know. I forget," he answered, stealing a glance at Miko smiling at whatever Ookami had just said.

Suzume took a long hard look at Inuyasha, then Ookami, then Miko.

"Ooh, somebody's jealous?" she teased lightly.

"What do you mean, jealous? Jealous of _him? Him? _What would I be jealous at him for?" he spat. "I'm not jealous," he muttered.

"You go on believing whatever you want," said Suzume, smiling widely.

"Why, you..." Inuyasha would have called her a name if Sensei hadn't stood up again and motioned for everyone to quiet down and finish their last bites of dinner.

"Wench. I know," Suzume answered, turning in her chair to face Sensei.

"The time has come for the promotion. Settle down, and our teachers will begin handing out items for those with raised positions."

He gestured to Master Herbal and Master Weather. Master Herbal held a basket of rosary beads, a sign of the rank of mage. Master Weather held a few white habits, the garments used to symbolize the edgemaster rank.

Inuyasha looked across the room; a group of maybe fifteen students already wore the white habit, in a congregation of something like a thousand.

Sensei began calling out the names for those graduating to mage, also known as sorcerer or sorceress. There was something near to seventy names called; Inuyasha didn't bother to keep count after fifty. He clapped when Suzume's name had been called, and she smiled gratefully at that.

The promotion of greens, which is what they called the beginners, to mages stopped. A look of disappointment clouded Inuyasha's face, which held the same for several others, like Ookami.

Inuyasha was also surprised that Miko had not been promoted; what she lacked in combat she made up in archery and complicated spellbinding magic. She did not appear disappointed, however; she remained smiling as she congratulated Suzume when she sat down.

"So you weren't lying," Inuyasha said.

"You hate to admit it, don't you?" said Suzume, smiling brightly.

"What's there to admit?" he asked.

"That a person you beat, and a girl of all things, got promoted before you did. Don't feel bad," she said with a touch of sincerity in her voice. "Sensei must have a reason for these things."

"Yeah, probably." Somehow hearing himself say it solidified the thought.

"Hey, there's good news!" Suzume said, her eyes glittering.

"Right. Care to enlighten me?" he asked sarcastically.

"Sure. You won't have to miss me, since I'll still see you at combat class."

"Hey, weren't you telling me the _good _news?" Inuyasha said with a loud laugh. Miko asked for a look at Suzume's rosary, which had sparrows on each bead.

"Continuing our ceremony are the five mages that we tonight will have the pleasure of promoting to the rank of edgemaster. They are the few who will join their peers, all of whom who have mastered the arts of the blade and earthly spellbinding. Congratulations to the following:"

Sensei went on to call three names, all of which were boys, or men, because they seemed so serious. There was an individual clapping after the speeches that followed each person's walk to the front of the room.

Then, he called, "Tatsugami," and the woman who so often accompanied Sesshoumaru stood up and walked to the stage. Sensei talked about her talents of being able to control the wind, as well as use her fan as an interesting weapon that had many a time caught her opponents off guard.

With a flourish, she had donned the white habit and began walking back to her seat.

"The next name I call is that of one of the most promising students this school has ever seen. Seishou, please step forward."

Inuyasha heart stopped for a moment, then resumed its beating, but now the laughter and merriment stored inside was gone. Now he was filled with dread.

"Seishou came to me in the peak of his youth, when he was of fourteen years. He came here with a profound skill of the blade, but lacked the magic that put edgemasters aside from a talented swordsman.

"He made no humble beginnings- in our combat classes he won every single spar against his opponents, until a certain individual came to Goshinboku…Who looked so unpromising as a warrior, but ended up defeating Seishou with barely having touched a katana…

"So, he came to me, and asked for relentless training, and I yielded to his wish, because he looked like such a promising student. And with toil and blood…He learned. He learned what some have by grace. He learned, and so he has a more profound understanding of magic wielded in combat.

"And I use him as an example to portray what you all can become…When you pity yourselves for what you lack, you fail to find a way to solve your flaws. There is much hope for all of you, because within all of you there is potential, and within some of you that potential is unlimited."

Inuyasha stared up at Sensei to find that he was looking straight at him, into his eyes. The speech had been short and simple, but Inuyasha had hated every moment of it. And he hated the sort of smile Sesshoumaru wore when he walked to Master Weather to receive his white habit.

"And now, Seishou will perform a spell exhibition for Lord and Lady Mizaburi," said Sensei. Inuyasha groaned inwardly.

Sesshoumaru stood in the center of the hall, a wide and empty space that, up until now, Inuyasha had been wondering what was for. He started immediately, drawing his blade and beginning a furious sort of sword dance.

Inuyasha watched along with everybody else. Sesshoumaru was made for this sort of thing, now that he thought about it. He certainly was the essence of superior presentation, what with his new white robes and the silver hair to match.

"He looks like a woman," Miko whispered. Inuyasha had to smile. A little bit.

It was an intricate sword dance inspired probably by Chinese technique; it was all about the thick, liquid movements and the held poses. Suddenly the edge of his blade began to saturate with blue energy. He stopped his leg movement and waved his sword like a staff.

The blue torrents of flame shimmered up in the air. After glinting brightly for a few moments, the blue tint gave way to a transparent crystalline color and shape, and suddenly they were clearly diamonds.

Lady Mizaburi was smiling with enjoyment.

All illusion, of course; but it took a skilled sorcerer to conduct it in the eyes of so many people.

The jewels fell to the ground, clattering and clicking like pebbles. The sound as an illusion would be harder to create.

They were swallowed up by the ground around him with another wave of his sword; they looked like seeds to Inuyasha.

To even greater awe, Sesshoumaru continued with his act; he appeared to be concentrating hard on the ground where the "diamonds" had disappeared. He put one hand out in front of him, as if summoning them back into the air.

But something miraculous happened. Instead, the audience could begin to see the ground rippling with force. Finally the first of a root surfaced, then the next, and they began to intertwine, spiraling upwards as if to reach heaven.

More roots amassed with the original two, until there were so many that it could be considered the base of a tree. In fact, it was.

Sesshoumaru continued, waving his sword from time to time in order to usher the illusion along. Finally, the roots were tall enough so that you couldn't tell them apart, and they began to grow out horizontally in branches.

This continued until Sesshoumaru had created a young sakura tree, and a miniature of the Goshinboku outside in the courtyard. He stepped forward and laid the flat part of his sword on one branch of the tree and lifted it. A pink cherry blossom bloomed at that spot, and soon the flowers were bursting on every branch and twig.

Sesshoumaru smiled widely, then plucked a blossom off one of the lower branches. He began walking towards Lady Mizaburi, and when he reached the head table, he dropped the flower into her outstretched hands.

It took a moment for the pink hue of the flower to become a snow white, as if touched by a frail winter.

While the lady was beginning to put the flower in her hair, the petals became the wings of a bird, and a white dove fluttered from her hands and around the room for a minute, then returned to Sesshoumaru's hand.

And suddenly, it was gone.

Then the other illusions vanished, in order of most recent creation; the blossoms disappeared first, then the branches, and the base of the tree.

After a few minutes of what seemed like total, captivated silence, Lady Mizaburi started clapping her delicate pale hands, beaming.

The teachers came next, then Lord Mizaburi, and the students.

Inuyasha just sat there, staring hatefully at his older brother, thoughts stewing in his mind, telling himself that if it _had_ been him, he could've done much better.

-

Phew, I got that done with. 5,800 words, can you believe it?

I hope I covered enough for today. After all, I told you:

Who Inuyasha sparred with in his year at the Seminary, and how those battles went. Sorry I couldn't go into more detail; this time I needed it concise. That stuff would just drag on and on…

About the festival of Sunreturn. Since I made the holiday up, it should be in my honor. (Once it's real, that is.)

The legend of Kikyou and Naraku. I tried to make it as closely related to the anime/manga as possible, so in the future you guys wouldn't get so confused. It's easier, ne?

A little bit more about Suzume. Isn't she a cool character? I'm trying to make her in-depth. The faer-seer thing I created on my own. My sister (xkumaxchanx) told me it was a great idea, so…Tell me if I'm creating a Mary Sue. I'm trying really hard not to. (Mary-Sue: A female character made up by the author, with bright, conquering qualities, beauty, personality, and so on. They're perfect, and they take over the plots. They're usually based on the authors. Thus, there are a lot of Mary Sues in Lord of the Rings fanfiction when it concerns Legolas.)

Inuyasha's jealousy of Ookami, otherwise known as Kouga. There's just a hint, though.

The ranks: Acolytes, Mages, and Edgemasters. I call the acolytes "greens." You're probably wondering why. People new to a trade or place are sometimes called "greenhands." It's a derogatory term, like what seniors would call you in your freshman year of high school. Not that they would, though.

The respect Sesshoumaru has. A lot, obviously.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The seventh one will be a SHOCKER, I promise you. I mean, really. You might even begin flaming me. Think of the most outrageous thing I could do to the plot. And you're probably on the right track.

And to leave you hanging on that…um, cliffhanger, I'm going to go now.

Alohaturtle

V The button likes to be pressed.


	7. Heartfire

Some of these parts I wrote while I was half asleep. Right now it's 10:30 and my eyes are burning. So forgive me for the crappy writing.

Don't skip anything in this chapter. Especially, don't skip through to the end! You'll be really confused.

Well, enjoy the chapter.

**-**

**Chapter VII: Heartfire**

Suzume said goodbye to Miko and Inuyasha at the entrance to the Great Hall, or rather, the exit.

She was shaking her right wrist, slightly uncomfortable with the new rosary she had received. To her, it probably felt like a new set of clothes: Not quite fitting, but desirable.

"After all," she mentioned with a playful smile directed towards Inuyasha, "I ought to have a different dormitory now…" She had a content look on her face, and color on her cheeks. "Maybe, with a little luck, it'll be a little bigger."

"Congratulations again, Suzume," said Miko, smiling enthusiastically. "You're going to do well, I know it."

"Thanks, Miko. Please don't talk like we'll never see each other again, I'm still in your combat class, both of you," Suzume answered gratefully.

"Lucky us," said Inuyasha with a swift roll of the eyes. Suzume really seemed to like rubbing her promotion in both of their faces. But he was the only one who was bothered by it. Miko was placid and docile by nature.

"Hey, that joke's old," said Suzume, giving him a scornful look.

"Feh," answered Inuyasha.

The other newly-promoted mages began calling Suzume's name. She turned in reply. They were waiting at a pillar down the walkway, waving impatiently.

"I guess I'd better go," she said, smiling again. "You lovebirds take care of each other."

And she ran off feverishly to catch up to her friends, leaving Inuyasha scowling loudly and Miko looking fretfully embarrassed.

"Wasn't that fun?" asked Miko abruptly before they began walking back towards the dormitories of the acolytes, in the opposite direction of the way Suzume had headed. The youngest greens were racing through the swarms of students, obviously busy in a game of tag, weaving in and out through the crowd. Inuyasha had just calmed down.

"Sunreturn?" said Inuyasha absentmindedly.

"Of course, Sunreturn. What did you think I meant, telling Suzume off?" asked Miko, smiling. "She was right, you know. It really was old. I heard you say it over dinner."

"You were listening to us?" asked Inuyasha incredulously.

"Oh, right. I didn't know you had a problem with eavesdropping," answered Miko, shrugging her shoulders quickly.

"Oh, I don't," he said, looking away decisively. "But just think about all those pretty words you missed out on…"

Miko blinked. It seemed that she had no idea what he was talking about. And so she asked him.

"Just what are you talking about?" she asked curiously.

"That cur…What's-his-name."

"Cur? Who's a cur?" Miko asked. Then suddenly she understood. "Ookami? Ookami's a cur?"

"Oh, so you get it now," said Inuyasha impatiently.

"Hey, if anything, _you're _a cur," she said, slightly irked, and with a puzzled look on her face.

"Right…You just say that because I insulted your little friend…" Inuyasha said, beginning to stalk off.

Miko easily caught up to his speed and tugged on his sleeve like an intrigued little girl. "Hey…Why do you call him a cur?"

"Because…" Inuyasha growled, "He _is._"

"Oh, just drop it," Miko said suddenly, maturing suddenly in years and taking on an exasperated tone of a teacher. He stared at her confusedly, and then began walking away again.

It was Inuyasha's turn to be annoyed when he heard Miko's footsteps, hurried to catch up to him. "You never answered me. Did you like Sunreturn?"

"I guess."

"You guess?" she repeated, eyes widening. "Well, Seishou's magic exhibition _did _seem to make you a little glum…"

"Fool! I'm my sullen old self!"

"It's sad that you bring up a good point…" said Miko, nodding.

Inuyasha "feh"ed again.

"Don't give your brother the satisfaction of bothering you. And why do you always have to 'feh'?"

"It's not bothering me!" he said a little louder. "And why does my 'feh'ing bother you?"

"Frankly, because it's annoying," said Miko, walking ahead of him. "Believe what you want about your brother. But don't you know that you're better than him?"

"After all of what he did? He's I-don't-know-how-many years my senior, of course he can have a little bit of ground on me," Inuyasha admitted grudgingly.

"But he doesn't," Miko insisted. "Your heartfire is-"

She was about to say something further about Inuyasha's "heartfire" when there was a shout of one of the students running around the entrance, then a large murmur from the rest.

The two of them turned to see what the commotion was about.

It was a peculiar spectacle: On the cobblestone ground a few yards behind them, Sesshoumaru was just getting up on his feet, obviously having been sprawled across it just a second sooner.

It was odd. Inuyasha could never remember standing up in the presence of his sitting older brother. Usually, being more highly elevated referred to a more elevated ranking.

Sesshoumaru moved towards one of the young boys who had been running around.

Evidently this one had been crouching over on his wobbly knees so he could trip one of his friends running around. But, he had, unfortunately for him, gotten in the way of Inuyasha's brother and his edgemaster peers. Sesshoumaru, much to his own and the green's loss of face, had fallen and tumbled over the obstruction.

"You poor whelp," said Sesshoumaru in a low, hostile tone, advancing closer to the boy. He might have grabbed him by the scuff of the boy's haori if Tatsugami hadn't interrupted with a scoff.

"A green?" Tatsugami's voice was high and baleful. She had taken out her oversized fan and was currently waving it gently over her mouth amusedly. "Seishou of the Western Lands, approaching a green?"

A few of the mages had a chuckle, here and there. But the wiser students kept quiet.

If he continued, Sesshoumaru would be doing exactly what everybody was thinking and what only Tatsugami had voiced- picking a dishonorably and pathetically unmatched fight.

Incredibly, though, Tatsugami had just probably saved Sesshoumaru from further humiliation.

The man dusted off his shoulders. To Inuyasha, it seemed as if he was sweeping off invisible flakes of nothingness; his new white habit remained as white as ever. If the sun were to suddenly come out, he could imagine it reflecting off the clothing and blinding a few students.

"I don't want boys and noise and foolishness. I'm sick of it," Sesshoumaru said finally, regaining a portion of his dignity.

A _small_ portion.

The young boy who had tripped him got up, bowed with his head touched to the ground, and, mortified, ran off to the dormitories with the rest of his friends.

Sesshoumaru's half-recovery incited a few jokes from his fellow edgemasters as they began to walk away. Inuyasha even heard Tatsugami reply with a small smile, "You must be getting middle aged" but he spoke louder and with more clarity than the rest, so his brother could hear him.

"What is it that you want, then?"

He could sense Miko's eyes darting up to his face uncertainly, worriedly, trying desperately to catch his gaze. Inuyasha was unfaltering.

The silence within the whole group was total, grim, and prolonged by what Inuyasha could now recognize as the mournful howl of the wind.

"What do I want? I want the company of my equals. Come," he beckoned to the edgemasters. "Let us leave the acolytes to their foolish toys." In response, Tatsugami snapped her fan shut with a mark of finality and, once again, the group began to walk away, explicably silent.

Inuyasha shouted to their backs, louder, and not quite sure what he was doing, or what he was going to do. "What do you have that greens don't?"

At this, Sesshoumaru fully turned around to acknowledge his sibling. The crimson slashes at the edge of his aquiline cheeks bended as he made a twisted, unnerving smile. His sharp, yellow eyes seemed to cloud.

"The answer to that is obvious."

"Oh, really? Tell me, then. I'd like to know," retorted Inuyasha.

Even whispering, it was quiet enough everyone else to hear his brother's single-worded answer:

"_Power._"

Inuyasha made a scoff, and was quite surprised to hear that it sounded as much as condescending as Tatsugami's had.

"I'll match your _power_," said Inuyasha quietly.

"Oh?" said Sesshoumaru, his menacing smile growing wider by the second to a point where Inuyasha feared it would split his face at the jaw.

Miko started tugging on his sleeve earnestly. He didn't shake her off, fearing that he would come off as harsh, but ignored her.

"Act for act," Inuyasha replied finally.

As quickly as his brother's smile had appeared, it disappeared. The tint of his ochre eyes once again became into a deathly sort of focus.

"That means, Shijou…That you dare to challenge me?" he asked, voice low and husky.

"I challenge you," Inuyasha confirmed in a solid, unwavering voice. Miraculously, Miko stopped tugging on the sleeve of his haori, but did the next worse thing.

She stepped slightly ahead of Inuyasha, so that she was partially in between him and his kin, who had advanced slowly. "Duels in secrecy are forbidden!" she said, looking at Inuyasha pleadingly.

He looked past her, straight into the eye of his half-brother, who only began to smile again. "I think you'd better remind your half-breed friend again of the law that protects his worthless life, ningen," Sesshoumaru said, nodding at Miko.

Miko whispered something so that nobody seemed to hear, but Inuyasha caught the irregularity of her indignant tone.

Then Sesshoumaru spoke directly to Inuyasha. "And you better remind your wench to stay out of business that isn't her own."

In his anger, Inuyasha could have sworn that his claws became sharper.

"He looks sulky," Sesshoumaru went on to say. "I wonder, did he really think that I'd accept a challenge from him?"

There was a loud murmur of agreement to these words from Sesshoumaru's group of edgemasters.

"He doesn't even know of weapon-sorcery, I'm willing to bet," he continued, smiling widely, thinking the battle was won.

Inuyasha had hardly been aware of it, but throughout this entire scene, his right hand had been creeping towards the hilt of his sword, and so slowly that no one, not even himself, noticed.

"What do you know of what I know?" questioned Inuyasha, infuriated. His hand was shaking in rage, and for the first time, Sesshoumaru saw it.

"Ho," he mentioned loudly to his friends. "He's going to brandish that hunk of metal at me."

Somehow, hearing Tetsusaiga referred to as a "hunk of metal" made Inuyasha clearly, for the first time, see complete red. The rage that had been festering for years and years of rivalry called to his hand.

And unsheathed his blade.

For the first time at his whole stay at Goshinboku, Tetsusaiga _transformed. _Of course, Inuyasha had done it before for the short time he had it at Hosusori, and had seen its master craftsman, Totosai, wield it in this way.

He had been confused and upset when he found it would not transform within the walls of the Seminary. Later, he found it out from Sensei-sama…Such a great "hunk of metal" posed an unfair factor to Inuyasha's future opponents in spars. It could be quite a useful weapon, even in Inuyasha's then-untrained hands. He had informed him that there was a quite powerful weapon lock to prevent it from transforming.

And, somehow, Inuyasha had just miraculously broken the spell.

It seemed so strange-that the action had been elicited by anger and his pure will to do it…But somehow, Inuyasha had known that he would break the enchantment.

He could call it a half-demon's born intuition, but he had the feeling it was something far stronger and valuable.

Either way, he held Tetsusaiga straight out in front of him. Inuyasha could feel the power that seemed to well at his fingertips like heat. He concentrated and watched as the energy created itself as a red haze around Inuyasha's blade.

Inuyasha felt at the extent of his power…

He couldn't explain it. It was like he was pouring all of his soul into Tetsusaiga, without even meaning to.

"Illusion," said Sesshoumaru breathlessly.

Inuyasha heard derisive shouts of "fool" amongst the ranks of the edgemasters. Though they had really been siding with his half-brother for most of this argument, they operated with their own minds. They were talented, sharp, and wise… They knew a desperate attempt to avert humiliation when they saw one.

"That wasn't illusion," Miko said, hoping her words would calm both rivals down. "That was true change." She turned abruptly to Inuyasha. "Shijou…listen-"

"Do I have to say it again, ningen?"

Sesshoumaru meant the reminder to Miko to keep to her own business.

"Well, go on, little brother," he said, using the endearing term in a voice full of hatred and anger to mock Inuyasha. "I quite like this trap you build for yourself. The more you try to prove yourself my equal, the more you show yourself for what you are."

Inuyasha put a hand on Miko's shoulder to put gently push her aside. She reached up with her own to stifle the movement, in quiet protest.

For once in this entire incident, her eyes caught his. They were dark umber pools that simply pleaded, _No, no, don't listen to him._

And, at the same time, Inuyasha wanted to tell her that he had no choice, that he had gone to far to look back, to even consider it…

"Which is?" he demanded.

Sesshoumaru spat: "A hanyou bastard."

This snide remark brought Inuyasha to an even higher level of rage.

"Do you know what's keeping me from attacking you, Seishou?"

"What? Your inability to lift that hunk of metal? I thought so," said Sesshoumaru quickly, malice glittering in his widening golden eyes.

"Now, what're you going to do prove you're better than I am?" asked Inuyasha impatiently, sheathing Tetsusaiga to show that he wasn't so weak that he couldn't lift his sword.

Instantly he felt energy sweeping back into him, and he nearly swayed with the feeling.

Miko seemed to sense this and put a fragile hand on his arm for support.

"I don't have to do anything, scum," Sesshoumaru answered, the patronizing note coming back into his voice. "Yet-I will. I will give you a chance opportunity. Envy eats at you like a worm in an apple, does it not? Let me let out the worm…"

"It's been out, Seishou," Inuyasha said seriously. "For years and years."

"So glum!" remarked Sesshoumaru, smiling all the wider. "Come, let us sort our business. What will you do with the chance I give you? An illusion, fireball, and a pitiful soul charge?" he asked.

"Well, half-brother…" started Inuyasha, thinking as quickly as he could, afraid that his words would fail him. "What exactly would you like me to do?"

Sesshoumaru took a long, hard look at him, then made an expression that looked as if he was suppressing a contemptuous laugh. He was surprised just with the fact that Inuyasha was daring to challenge him.

"Summon up a spirit from the dead, for all I care!"

There was another eerie moment of inexplicable silence, and at once everyone knew that Inuyasha, having challenged an assumed superior, was taking all things seriously.

Inuyasha thought for a moment about all the things he had learned from Sensei-sama.

None of them involved harnessing a soul back from the afterlife.

But…that doesn't mean he hadn't learned it.

After all, he had been curious.

_Curiosity killed the cat, right? _

Or rather, the dog.

It so happened that while his teacher was unusually absentminded one day, Sensei excused himself quietly from one of Inuyasha's private sessions.

Maybe he would never have agreed to Sesshoumaru's challenge if he hadn't seen it- the sacred book of Edgemaster Spell Binding. The luster of the book's leather cover caught his eye that day, compelling him to open it and study the contents inside.

And he had, despite his rationalizations.

Surprisingly, the spell book had no enchantments over it whatsoever. What vexed him the most was that Sensei would keep it out in the presence of a student.

Inuyasha had flipped to a random page, and by chance- or maybe it was fate- it landed on a chapter concerning methods of restoring the dead to life.

Aware of how wrong it was, though the danger was exactly what called to him, he read awkwardly through the pages. Page after page after page there were elaborate purification ceremonies for priests and priestesses, strange practices of soaking bones and flesh. He searched until he found something frighteningly simple…

A person could be brought back to life by rupturing his resting place with a spirit sword.

Inuyasha stopped thinking about those disconcerting moments of reading, aware of how long he had kept the silence.

He paused to look at Miko again. It looked she had given up trying to dissuade him.

_Summon up a spirit from the dead, for all I care!_

Then he nodded firmly at his brother. "I will."

Sesshoumaru went into another one of his cold rages.

"You will not. You cannot. You brag and brag-"

"I will do it!" Inuyasha shouted back.

It seemed for a moment that Sesshoumaru would sway at the fury with which the words were flung at him. He looked stunned, if only for a moment.

"Very well. And while you try, remember that it is you who asked for this chance."

"Just _try?_" asked Inuyasha, mimicking his brother's disdainful tone. "I _said _I would do it."

"Be careful about what you _say_," Sesshoumaru pointed out. "It is your mouth, and your mouth only that has gotten you thus far."

"If I could help it, it would take me farther. But I guess I'll have to settle on bringing someone back to the afterlife."

Sesshoumaru gave him an icy glare. "Very well. I will take care of breaching the walls of the school."

"That's impossible." Tatsugami's eyebrows were raised. "Even for an edgemaster."

"Well...If an acolyte can bring back a person from the afterlife…The least of my abilities should include finding a way to do it," Sesshoumaru answered. He turned back to his brother.

"What do you say, Shijou? Shall we rendezvous in two hours?"

-

And suddenly, in what seemed like no time at all, Inuyasha was venturing out into the grassy cliffsides of coastal Okinawa. Miko had to run to keep up with the quick tempo of Inuyasha's pace, though it really seemed to him that he was walking as slow as he could…

Sesshoumaru had gone through with the breaching of the building spells. Very well, actually; he had literally created a hole in the wall and created a cloaking illusion to hover in its place, so that when you entered the hole, it seemed that you were falling into a stone wall.

The walk was long, and a short procession of students, mage and edgemaster alike, followed after Inuyasha, who was leading the way to where Miko described the High Priestess's tomb was.

Speaking of Miko, she now seemed to comply with his word. Perhaps as a ningen she truly understood his need to prove himself. Even if she did, though, Inuyasha could never imagine her doing something as foolish as what he did.

"You're…you're sure about this…" said Miko slowly and suddenly, "Right?"

"Of course. What are you, an idiot? Do you really think I could back down _now?" _asked Inuyasha.

"_I wish you would," _she whispered softly, clenching her fingers around her bow.

Maybe her words were meant only for her own ears. Maybe she forgot that Inuyasha's half-demon ears caught every single sound.

"Look, I know this was stupid, Miko," said Inuyasha finally.

"Oh, so you just begin to realize it now? _Now?" _she said, not looking at him.

"No," he answered. "But why do you act like…like I've done something wrong?"

"Wrong? You have done something wrong! You don't call this wrong?" Miko's voice rose dangerously.

"Wrong, yes. But wrong to _you?_" he replied, taking a hold of her hand and forcing her to look at him directly.

She still avoided him by darting her eyes to the side.

"Damn it, look at me," he said quietly, lowering his voice. The others had quite about caught up by now, so while the two continued walking he softened.

His words made her look up, and for the first time, Inuyasha caught the sad expression on Miko's face.

"I'm sorry," he said grudgingly, eager to get Miko to stop wallowing.

"You don't _sound _terribly apologetic," she answered coldly.

"It's always that way with women, isn't it?" asked Inuyasha, continuing to talk in a mocking manner. "It's not what you _said, _it's the way you said it…"

"Shut up," Miko said. Inuyasha was willing to bet that it was the first time he had ever heard those two words from her. And coming from her, they seemed callous, unfitting.

Well, he wasn't getting anywhere. He went for a change of topic.

"What were you going to say..." Inuyasha started, hoping he had picked a subject that wouldn't irritate Miko, "about my heartfire?"

"Oh…That," she answered slowly. "I was just going to say that yours is stronger than brother's."

"Hey…What is 'heartfire,' anyways?" asked Inuyasha, suddenly curious.

"That's right; I never explained it to you, did I? It's sort of hard to, anyways. The simplest way I can put heartfire," said Miko, "is that it makes up a person's soul."

Inuyasha waited for her to continue, because he of course knew nothing of what she was talking about.

"It's basically the force that emanates from somebody's spirit," Miko said, struggling to depict it. "In any case, yours is stronger than Seishou's."

"Meaning...That I have more, or that it's stronger?"

Miko looked at him for a moment, studying him hard. "Maybe both."

Suddenly a balmy breeze from the north swept down on the cliffside. And the clouds seemed to shift in the sky, allowing the full moon to shine down on Okinawa.

Miko's raven hair flowed with a lustrous definition in the soft, baleful wink of the moonlight.

She looked perfectly ethereal.

"So, this 'heartfire…' is a word only you use?" asked Inuyasha, continuing to walk.

"No. But the only other person I've heard strike close to the idea is Sensei. He called it 'lifeblood.'"

"What exactly does it do?"

"It doesn't 'do' anything. And nobody knows what it is because they can't see it."

"But you know what it is because…"

"Yes. I can see it," she said with a slow nod. "I can see it in everything around me, all the students have it. In the wiser ones, it is stronger."

Inuyasha suddenly made a strange sound, and looked like he was trying not to smile.

"You're telling me I'm wise?" he asked, looking away and scoffing. "There's a first."

Miko allowed herself to smile and shrug. "Maybe. Maybe the wisdom's just untouched…"

"Feh, wench."

Miko laughed harder, hunching her shoulders and shivering slightly. She continued to walk until she reached the cliffside. She peered over the edge cautiously.

Inuyasha worriedly put a hand on her waist to keep her from losing her balance, at which she gave a little flinch of hesitation and surprise. Her body seemed to tremble at his touch.

"Yes. It's that one," she said, pointing to one of the caves.

"You're sure?" Inuyasha asked.

"Pretty sure. I can't jump down there," Miko said, backing away from the edge a little bit.

Inuyasha's face betrayed a little bit of irritation. "I'll take you down," he said.

"No thanks, I'm scared of-"

But before she could relay her tendencies of acrophobia to Inuyasha fully, he had hoisted her up with his right arm and leapt off the cliff's edge.

Miko gave a quiet yelp; the volume caught in her throat from the shock of the influx of wind in her face. Suddenly she could hear every wave of the ocean crashing down on the shore two hundred feet below them.

_Two hundred feet! _

She squeezed her eyes shut, but to no need; they had already landed. Inuyasha took his arm off from around her, setting her gently on the ground.

"I'm never doing that again!" she said, rubbing the goosebumps feverishly that had suddenly formed on her arms.

"Too bad. There's still the return trip," Inuyasha said, nodding his head towards the cliff edge, which was now looming ominously twenty feet above them.

Miko seemed to make a small "eep" of despair. Meanwhile, Inuyasha had turned and began walking into the cave catacomb.

"I should have thought of bringing a lantern or two," she mentioned, looking around the cave, seemingly frightened.

"Ningens," muttered Inuyasha, venturing further in. His vision was much better than Miko's, as he had some inu-youkai blood in him.

She looked up sharply at the sound of footsteps behind them. Her sigh of relief was long and quiet; it was only the other students following into the cave.

A certain silhouette could be made out approaching Inuyasha and Miko the closest. It was the thin, shadowy outline of Suzume, and she was raising a lantern.

Her hair was down, which framed her face in a way Miko had never considered before. By the light of the small hand lamp, she could see that Suzume had come in a hurry; she was wearing a yukata normally used strictly for sleep, and a pair of sandals, instead of the usual elegant set of boots.

"Miko. Shijou's inside, ne?" she asked.

The former nodded in reply.

"Thanks for the light, Suzume!" said Inuyasha from within. "Bring it a little closer, will you?"

Suzume didn't hesitate, and walked further inside.

-

Maybe it was just Miko, but she hated the rank, eerie smell that steadily wafted in and out of the tomb. She hated the feeling, and the goosebumps reemerged on her skin.

_This wasn't right. _

Kami-sama, why had she even helped him find the tomb? If something happened…And she was sure that something would…

_She would be responsible…_

She prayed that the fairy tale wasn't true, but in every aspect of it, she began to believe.

The truth dawned on her like a beast hiding in the shadows, waiting to pounce.

What if Shijou really did succeed in bringing back a spirit from the dead?

What would the summoned have to say about it?

Perhaps nothing at all…

_But, perhaps, there could be dissidence in the poor spirit? _

_Laid to rest, and woken up from a sleep that was never to be ended…?_

Priestess Kikyou would be vengeful. She would bring back whatever things she had seen in hell and bring them straight to the person who revived her.

She couldn't let that happen to him! If it did…

But she couldn't stop him either.

He would…He would hate her forever.

_What kind of a friend am I? I would prefer him not to scorn me, but instead…_

To what?

_Die?_

She wouldn't think of it.

But now that the discussion had started in her mind, the voices wouldn't keep quiet.

_You're not a friend. _

_You're a coward. _

She stood there, trying unsuccessfully to push her thoughts away, to some abyss of nonexistence somewhere in her mind.

And soon more students began to gather to watch Shijou bring back a spirit from the dead.

-

"Who should I call?" asked Inuyasha, facing Sesshoumaru, who had just entered. His brother looked to the side, looking bored.

"Whomever you like. None will listen to you."

"…Don't be scared. I'll call a woman's spirit, brother. This woman. Her bones lie in this tomb, don't they?"

There was a strange sort of unadulterated courage and resonance in his voice now. With the sheath of Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha pointed towards the supposed resting place of a woman about to be brought back to life, then walked towards it, close enough to touch…

"The High Priestess Kikyou? Perhaps there never was a woman, but if there was, she died a thousand years ago."

"Years shouldn't matter to the dead," said Inuyasha with a snarl.

Sesshoumaru was quiet, glaring hatefully at his younger brother, who, for once, and with words…Had managed to subdue him.

"Right, then," answered Inuyasha. "Kikyou it is."

As he pulled out Tetsusaiga, he could feel the others moving behind him. He faced the grave of the late priestess, and light reflected from the lantern off his sword, careening into the left cave wall.

Sensei's lessons were beginning to come back to him now.

"_Concentrate. Hands steady. Don't move, Shijou…Your focus is critical in battle…"_

_(he'd never say anything to me about bringing back the dead, though I hope it applies)_

"_Your power emanates from one place and one place only: Your heart." _

_(not my head?)_

_"Your heart is the center of your being, your existence."_

_iI guess my mind's capabilities never were too impressive. something Suzume would say)_

_Sensei pressed a firm hand to Inuyasha's left chest, feeling the heart beat beneath the skin and haori. "Your aura lies within your heart, of the nature of your human and youkai power."_

_(i guess)_

_"Feel your power. Only then can you use it…"_

_(is this what heartfire is?)_

"_Do you feel it?" _

_(no only your hand)_

But somehow, he felt as if Sensei was really with him right now, teaching Inuyasha to channel his power into his sword.

And now he understood what heartfire was.

That tingling feeling again…

Heat rushed in a wave from his arms to his hands to the sword. Now it was suddenly saturated with dense energy, which glowed red at the handle.

Only, it didn't stop there. More energy rushed from him to the sword, though never fully leaving him, just hanging in a delicate balance.

He thought he had been at the extent of his power when Tetsusaiga first transformed.

It was nothing…Nothing, compared to now.

Inuyasha raised the blade high over his head, and again he could feel the students stepping backwards.

He paid no attention.

_(focus, that's what i need, isn't it…?)_

An eerie feeling came over him.

His hate and rage were gone.

No envy.

He was left alone with only the certainty of knowing he would succeed.

And this…newfound power, which on his prompt, sped so easily to his hands and sword.

Inuyasha was the servant of his own destiny.

_And his master was waiting… _

It seemed like an eternity, standing there and contemplating the situation.

_(what do they call it? eien, right?)_

Then, finally, with a solid, swift vertical stroke, he sliced through the gravesoil of the priestess Kikyou's tomb.

There was a large shapeless mass of darkness that seeped out of the opening made on the grave, and seemed to gather into a dense accumulation of…

What? Evil?

Inuyasha felt the power leave him slowly. He couldn't lift his sword.

He couldn't move.

Suddenly the ominous dark cloud of nothingness was sundered by a tall, pale spindle of the brightest burst of light Inuyasha had ever seen, or would see.

Ever.

A figure began to emerge in the light, the contours of its body beginning to form, engulfed in the unearthly radiance.

It was a woman with a pale face, features a mix of gentle sadness and deep sorrow. She was wearing a white hakama top, and scarlet red pants.

_Kagome?_

No. As the person approached him, it was evident that this…woman…was not Kagome.

So this was Kikyou…

Her face was the essence of holiness, purity, and the godspoken. Yet, it was clearly jaded from all the evil she had faced in her time…

Suddenly the poignant expression turned into a visage of fear and horror.

Behind her, the darkness began to amass again. It was a gaping, wide hole.

Inuyasha tried to look away. But he couldn't. He was fixated on that spot…

The endless sea of shadows seemed to surround him now. Inuyasha felt that he had torn the fabric of the world open.

Inuyasha tried to make out the shape of the next person who emerged from that eternal darkness.

But before he could clearly see what the next creature he had summoned was, it had flown out at his face, knocking him over.

The next thing he knew, the only thing he knew next was…

_Pain. _

Excruciating pain. Pain he could never have begun to imagine.

Until he felt it.

All the others saw was a horrible shape of a shadow attacking Inuyasha, who was rolling over the floor in pain, screaming screams that never emerged from his mouth.

Suddenly, Inuyasha fell still.

-

She, her voices, her conscience…They had been right.

She was a coward.

She was stupid.

A white, wavering figure of a young woman found her way outside, seeming to float.

That…Was Kikyou?

_She's beautiful, _thought Miko quietly, as she watched the spirit fly over the sides of the cliff.

About Shijou…She should have realized.

Well, she did, but…

Too late.

The students who had "front row" seats to Shijou's summoning began to scream, horrible shrieks of fear.

She didn't stop to hesitate this time.

From where she was waiting at the cave entrance, she bolted forward into the crowd, prepared to push and shove and kick to get to Shijou if she needed to.

Only, she didn't need to.

A black shadow shot out from where it had attacked Inuyasha, seeking the exit.

She couldn't let it go.

She wouldn't.

Faster than she fully realized, she had one of her white-fletched arrows notched high onto her bow.

Her heart was beating quicker than usual, but her hands were amazingly steady, almost stinging with the rushing energy.

She didn't stop to check her aim.

When she used her heartfire, she never missed.

Never.

She let the arrow fly at the shadow, whirling around quickly to get to Shijou. She didn't even stand to watch her arrow pierce its center as it fled down the cliffside.

People were now stepping away for her to run through.

Her hands stopped tingling.

The tears began falling.

"Shijou…" she cried. "Shijou, forgive me…"

She stumbled to where he lay, his haori in tatters and his pants in as nearly bad shape. His hair covered his whole face, and his body was full of scars. Scars, deep flails and cuts and stabs, still bleeding because of the monster that had inflicted them.

"Shijou…" she said, gasping for breath and turning over his hair so she could see his face.

It, too, was covered in scars. His face was red, flowing thick with blood. She stroked his forehead slowly, trying to find his eyes underneath the mass of blood and his pale hair.

_Kami-sama, let him be alive!.._

After all, his heartfire was still there, even if somewhat diminished…

She spread her hands across his bloody chest, where scraps of his beige undershirt fell.

Hesitantly, slowly, like groping in the dark, she found where his heart should be.

With no heartbeat.

Her cries became softer.

Her shoulders slumped, and the quiver of arrows fell onto his chest, a few spilling out.

She gathered them quickly, a few more dry sobs racking her body.

His heartfire was beginning to fly away, ascending…

Good. Then he would live in heaven.

And she would not. She sent her friend to his death.

With these thoughts in her mind, she beckoned the heartfire down to his body, slowly, unsure if it would work.

Somewhere in her mind she felt a single pulse, like the beating of a set of taiko drums.

She put her hand on his chest again.

Another single beat.

Hope was renewed within her, and she set her quiver of arrows down.

To her it seemed that just her hand there seemed to give Shijou's heart encouragement.

The drums came again. Two heartbeats, this time.

And the heartfire was working within him again, pulling at the organs that made it work, and lighting up his mind. Slowly. But surely.

-

Somebody, meanwhile, had called the school instructors. Sensei and the rest of the Masters rushed into the cave catacomb as quickly as possible, in bedclothes and nightgowns.

After receiving eyewitness accounts of the whole summoning, the teachers reassured the students and instructed them to go back to their dormitories.

Then they attended to the fallen.

They found a grave, fit and made for a young woman, completely sundered and opened wide to the world, with nothing in it. The lanterns that some few students had thought to bring had long gone out.

The evil was tangible in the air.

Regrettably, Miko had failed to subdue, or finally rid the world of the monster Shijou had released.

There were no traces of the Priestess Kikyou's aura. She, too, had probably fled.

They found that Miko had taken off her white hakama overshirt to fold up and let Shijou use as a comfortable pillow. She was kneeling, shivering in the cold, her face covered with her hands, weeping over him.

The tears fell through her fingertips and onto his chest, pooling there. Tears of relief. Tears of horror. Tears of sorrow.

Goosebumps were raised on her arms again, for now she was only wearing a white, short-sleeved under-kimono that she usually wore to sleep.

A teacher mentioned that she was probably cursing the icy, cold wind that had befallen on the night.

But she was doing no such thing.

This was the only thought that was rushing through her mind:

_Kami-sama…Thank you. _

-

Hmm. As bad as you thought?

6000 words. Gah. Tis overkill to write these things, when I have so much homework awaitin'!

Ahhh. The power of the pen! I killed Inuyasha and brought him back to life…I have such an evil smile on my face right now.

As always, reviews! I even appreciate criticism.

If you have a question, I won't answer it unless you let me know! Ergo, REVIEW!

No, this isn't the end of Heartfire. Don't ask me stupid things like that.

Alohaturtle.


	8. Flight

**A/N: **I finally got around to updating. Yay. Unfortunately, Heartfire as well as my other fanfiction, The Housekeeper and Me, will be up on hiatus for about a month. I'll be in Europe. So don't expect me to update then. I'll try to write, but don't count on it.

**Disclaimer: **Do you _think _that I own Inuyasha?

-

**Chapter IIX: Flight**

Feeling the warm, soothing wetness of a worn, but soft cloth being pressed to his forehead, Inuyasha regained consciousness. His eyes stirred, uncertainly, beneath his eyelids. It was comforting, and the balmy temperature of the rag seemed to magically stir thoughts up in his mind.

He kept his eyes closed, thinking of the numbness that was his body. Everything…Everything was completely dark, and sleep was an abyss he had not yet fully escaped.

But he was determined to. His eyes fluttering open, the first thing that he saw was Miko's delicate face. She was staring at him, her eyes shining in the cool, bleak shade of the room, a solitary candle burning in an earthenware holder on a small wooden table.

She was gazing down at him with an expression that Inuyasha had never seen on her face: sadness.

However, as she moved the rag across his forehead, her touch tender, she seemed to notice that he was awake. A glimpse of relief passed onto her face.

She removed the rag and put a frail hand to the side of his forehead, tactfully brushing away his pale strands of hair, matted to his skin because of the moisture.

Miko seemed hardly aware of her own gesture.

Inuyasha looked away from her, turning his head to the side so that his cheek was pressed to the tatami mat beneath him.

It was a slightly avoidant movement, and Miko seemed to catch on without being offended. She moved to the side slightly.

By the sound of faintly trickling liquid, she was dipping the cloth into a bowl of water, and wringing it gently.

"Inuyasha…" she murmured softly, her thoughts a mess, "How do you feel?"

"Horrible," he rasped, his voice not fully recovered.

Miko managed a slightly crooked smile at his blunt answer, placing the cloth on his forehead again.

_Inuyasha…How do you feel? _

Inuyasha.

She had called him Inuyasha.

Oh, yeah.

_I'm supposed to be upset, right? _

After all that secrecy, Miko knew his name. He felt as he had when she had found out about his vulnerability on the New Moon. Not terrified, but rather, concerned. Being in danger brought out the maturity in him, and anyone could tell you that it was a rare occasion that did.

As if reading his mind, she spoke up uncomfortably. "I'm sorry. I'll call you Shijou if you prefer."

"No, it's alright," said Inuyasha, turning his head so he now gazed up distractedly at the low ceiling. He was busying himself tracing the grain-lines around and around in the wooden panels above him.

Miko, meanwhile, was busying herself tending to Inuyasha. She took the rag off his head once more, set it in the bowl, and leaned forward to look at his wounds.

"Sorry," she said again.

"For what? It's just a name-" he began to answer impatiently. These words were followed, or rather, cut off, by a sharp, severe intake of breath.

He looked down at his upper abdomen, where the pain had originated. Miko had begun peeling off the long bandage that covered his stomach.

"Sorry again," she said.

He was beginning to grow tired of all these "sorry"s, but he let it fly. What she had just done, even with a tender touch, had sent spiraling rivets of pain into his head.

She continued to take off the bandage, so Inuyasha was forced to grit his teeth and bear it. Miko looked up at his wincing, but determinedly persisted.

"Just…How do you know?" he asked sullenly.

"Ancient law of the gods," Miko said, not looking at him. She stripped off the last segment of bandage on his abdomen. The air in the room was cool, and wafted over his deep wounds gently.

"Which would be?" Inuyasha didn't feel so weak now; speech was coming easier to him by the minute.

"Simple," she said, ready to give a concise answer. "I saved your life, your identity, your existence…so now it's mine. To do with as I please."

She explained well enough. "Oh," he answered.

"I never used to believe it," she said, looking down at her fingertips, spotted with his blood, and shaking her head.

"You didn't believe the legend, either," said Inuyasha, coughing up blood. Miko brought over a small bowl for him to spit it into.

"You did," she murmured, shaking her head insistently.

"And look. Look where it got me," he said, coughing harder.

He saw her stop and stare, a single tear rolling down the contours of her face. He felt slightly bewildered as it fell onto his right shoulder.

_This doesn't feel right_, he thought. _She shouldn't be shedding tears for me. _

She took a deep breath, short sobs racking her body, then brushed a tendril of stray hair behind her ear, preparing to get back to work.

He spotted a red glint of something below her ear, and barely realized he was reaching his arm up to touch it.

"Your earring…" he started, touching one bead and sending it swinging back and forth, "The old one…Where did it go?" She used to wear hollow blue beads and diamonds on her right ear. But now, the diamonds continued longer than usual, and the beads were a glinting blood red.

She looked surprised, then considered his question. Her cheeks turned pink. "I…I broke it," Miko said, the faintest hint of a shrug lining her shoulders.

"When?" he asked curiously, letting his arm fall back to his side again.

"Oh…A few months ago," she said, biting her lip. She subconsciously raised a hand to touch her earring.

_She looks embarrassed…_

"That's funny. I never noticed it before…" his voiced trailed off before he coughed again, harder this time. He had reached over for the bowl before she had, and spent the next few seconds hacking up blood into it.

He finally set it down, Miko looking at him worriedly.

As if the coughing had cleared his mind, he propped himself up with his arms. She didn't stop him.

They were now face to face, and he looked at her with realization. "Oh."

She understood, and suddenly fell still and quiet.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked tiredly.

"I didn't think it was important..." Miko answered, looking away from his eyes. "It isn't, really. What matters is that…That you're awake now."

"You tell me things I can't believe." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I thought…All of what happened…Happened last night."

"It happened three months ago, Inuyasha," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I thought you wouldn't have wanted it brought up. It was a coma…You hardly breathed for the first week. But your heartfire…It was still there."

"How exactly did you break your earring?" he asked. Talking about his near-death was surprisingly morbid, even though he was alright now, well on his way to a full recovery.

Miko turned, picking up something from the small wooden table. "Long story."

"I'm not exactly going anywhere, if you noticed," Inuyasha answered.

Miko laughed at that, and nodded quietly, considering what to say to him.

He liked her laugh. It was like realizing music in a world devoid of sound.

She picked up a deep bluish-green herb and blew on it to clear the dirt away, or to perhaps increase its potency. "It happened that night."

"Tell me everything," he persisted. "I can't remember."

She sighed and began grinding the herb into a wet poultice. "It was after you summoned the priestess. I had stayed at the catacomb entrance. And-" She paused to think and collect her thoughts. "And you summoned Naraku."

"Is that possible? I didn't even know!" Inuyasha insisted.

"I had never thought about it, either. But he did, after all, die in the same place she did."

"So I," started Inuyasha, wanting not to believe it, "I split open both of their graves?"

"They weren't designated. You never could have known."

He knew that Miko was trying to comfort him, but what good did her reassurance do when it didn't change anything?

"And Naraku fled. Is that how your earring broke? You shot him?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered quietly, beginning to apply the poultice to the wounds on his stomach. The substance was icy cold, but it stung horribly. He hoped that it meant that it was working.

"Seal earring, then?"

"You're quick," Miko acknowledged, frowning slightly.

"My father wears a seal bracelet. But I never knew that they could break. How in the world did you break yours?" Inuyasha asked. It was unthinkable.

Any sort of seal ornament was there for one thing – to keep an individual's true power in check. If it was to break, all the suppressed energy would be released at once, and just the sheer intensity of the discharge could destroy an enemy.

"I don't know how I broke it. I really…" she trailed off, applying more of the poultice to his upper abdomen, and then placing a new, clean bandage over it. She didn't look at him, though she was speaking to him. She just stared thoughtfully down at her hands. "I really scared myself."

"So you killed him," Inuyasha said.

He wasn't asking. It was inferred. Though he didn't like to admit it, Miko was stronger than him in some ways, and anybody overcome by her power would most likely die. That was the purpose of the seal earring, to keep that power away from her reach. But in this instance, it was fortunate.

Suddenly he began to hear small, muffled sobs from where Miko was sitting.

_She's crying…?_

She finally looked up, wiping her cheeks where fresh tears had fallen.

"I didn't," she said with a wavering voice.

"You didn't," he repeated, not quite understanding yet.

"I wasn't strong enough!" she said in quiet outburst, the tears spilling down the pristine white hakama shirt. She was shaking, and her voice was unsure, hesitant. "He's still alive."

Inuyasha paused, finally comprehending. But then, if Miko had been the one to shoot him, then…!

_She's in danger!_

"He's after you?" he asked, sitting up, face full of concern.

Miko shook her head. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha," she said, nearly choking with the tears in her throat.

The next words he heard were the deciding of his fate.

"I'm sorry. He's after you."

-

Miko stayed with him throughout the days, watching over as he recovered. He soon stopped coughing up blood, but he still had long-lasting cold sweats and high fevers.

It was nothing he couldn't handle, though. The worst part was dealing with the wounds. They were deep and Miko's bandages and poultices never really seemed to help; at times there would be sparks of pain, other times he lay numb, and sometimes it felt as if the pain were gnawing at him from the inside.

Miko told him that there was a possibility that the scars would never fade, that he would bear them as memories his entire life.

Not that he would ever forget them.

The second day since he first woke from unconsciousness, he was well enough to walk around his room. Miko would encourage him.

Something seemed missing from her since the days before what happened at the catacombs. She was taciturn, thoughtful, and looked upon Inuyasha with such a sad expression that he thought he was the cause of it. They talked, but she never really seemed to want to.

But mostly his time of day was spent thinking. Thinking about what he had done, the people he had brought back, what would happen to him later. Sometimes he dreamt about Kikyou, with her startlingly frail face, her sad haunting beauty.

Then he began to think about how much she and Miko looked alike.

A week after his waking from the coma, Sensei arranged to see him. And when he came into the room, something in his face had changed also. Lines of knowledge and sorrow had been chiseled into the old man's forehead, and his chin had the makings of a beard.

Miko set a small tray between the two of them as soon as Sensei had seated himself. Inuyasha decided not to touch his; he didn't appeal to the bitter smell that wafted into his nostrils. Then she left the two to talk, leaving the room.

Sensei picked up his cup of tea, taking a long, large gulp before setting it down with a sigh.

"As you can see," the elder started, "much has happened in the time that you have been sleeping."

Inuyasha gave a noise of assent, and the man continued.

"To begin, why don't you tell me what you have learned from Miko?" he asked.

Inuyasha paused. "She told me as best as she could what happened that night. I split open the graves of a priestess and demon. When I asked, Miko said she broke her seal earring when she shot Naraku, who was trying to get away."

"That she did. But she also did tell you-"

"Hai. That he wasn't killed. Then she told me that Naraku was after me." Inuyasha gave a miniscule shrug. "That's all. She hates talking about it, so I didn't want to ask…"

"I thank you for sparing her feelings. This has affected her more than you will ever know," said Sensei, taking another sip of tea.

"She's alright, though?"

"Physically, in perfect condition. However, she believes that she was…" Sensei appeared to consider what to say. "That she was responsible for what happened to you."

"That's completely stupid!" Inuyasha protested.

"Shijou, I am simply telling you what has happened to her. And I mean to tell you that it was not her doing whatsoever. She believes- and she told me this herself- that when you were attacked, she thought she had sent you to your death."

Now Inuyasha felt responsible for her pain. He never thought of it that way- maybe now he understood her silence this past week.

"Miko is the best herbalist here, and after what happened at the cliffside, a good number of students were sent to Master Herbal for traumatic scars. They were having nightmares in their sleep. Some couldn't even sleep. So, our hands were full- we didn't even have to ask her to tend to your wounds."

"I didn't think so," Inuyasha said, subconsciously touching his stomach, where the huge scar was healing.

"Yes. She's a wonderful girl. But she's horribly burdened at this point. She's done a good job helping you on your way to recovery."

"Yeah," said Inuyasha, thinking about what Miko must have felt the three months he was unconscious.

"However, there are much larger matters at hand," Sensei interrupted. "The concern of Naraku having been released is more important than you, her, or even me."

Sensei leaned forward to pour himself more green tea. "He is no ordinary demon, Shijou. He has power unimaginable."

When Sensei said something like that, it must mean something horrible. Inuyasha thought that his teacher was the strongest person he had ever known, aside from his father, but it was a different sort of power. They carried different bits of eclectic wisdom; Inutaisho knew all about the workings of war; Sensei knew how those sorts of things scarred the soul.

As if reading his mind, Sensei said, "Hard to vision, but it is nothing short of the truth. And I tell you the truth in the strong faith that you will accept it, Shijou, for you are a strong person with a strong sense of will."

He put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"And I also tell you because I know you are the type of man, Shijou, who will accept nothing but the truth. So I tell you: Naraku is a powerful demon, whom no man can face, either alone or with a whole army behind him."

That left Inuyasha precious few choices.

"Then what am I going to do?"

"You must run, Shijou."

Reality began to sink in fully. Despite its drawbacks, Inuyasha did wish to continue his education here at Goshinboku Seminary.

"Run to the ends of the earth if you have to. Because running is sometimes better than losing your life needlessly."

Inuyasha was slightly reminded of one of the last conversations he had had with his father in Hosusori. It had been right after he attacked Lord Subeki and his manservant; on his birthday.

Yes…He remembered now.

_"Cowardice is a separate thing from caution." _

_"What will I gain from hiding?" Inuyasha asked defiantly. _

_"Perhaps…A few more years of life," Inutaisho replied. _

Returning to the moment at hand, Inuyasha nodded stiffly to Sensei.

"I'm sorry to have put this upon you, Shijou," he said. "I fear for the well being of this school and its students. The last time Naraku existed on this earth, his power came from those whom he absorbed. When you freed him from his tomb, you freed only his soul. Without a body, he lives a half life. We have reason to believe that he fled to the mainland in search of a host on which he can feed."

"Why not choose a host here?" Inuyasha asked. It was quite obvious, really. If Naraku was really as powerful as Sensei said, he would have no trouble in taking a body from one of the edgemasters, or even from a teacher. Plus, the demon was after him anyways, acquiring a body could be considered something to take care of "on the way."

"We have learned since the last time Naraku lived. Constant spells and enchantments work over the school to keep the evil out. Your brother, being so powerful, but also horribly brash, did a good job in sundering the spell to find an exit to the cliffs. However, the Masters had the spell up once again after all the students were ushered back into the school."

"But Naraku will be back?"

"As long as you reside here. We are surprised that he has even taken this long to find a suitable body. But then again, he has probably learned from his last experience on Earth," said Sensei gravely.

"Could he have broken the barrier on the school, though?" Inuyasha asked.

"Not without a body. That much is certain."

Inuyasha paused to take everything in, looking idly into his untouched teacup.

He hung his head.

"I'm sorry. I've put everybody in danger."

"You have. And that is why you must leave. But I do not hold you in contempt for it," the old man answered. "I admire your responsibility."

Inuyasha felt horrible that Sensei was saying that to him. What responsibility? How could he have let this happen?

"Will Miko be all right?"

"You care for her more than you admit." The old man smiled, the wrinkles on his face gathering up at the ends of his eyes. "I have no doubt she'll be fine. She's headstrong."

His reassurance helped a little bit. Inuyasha began to believe what he said.

"When…When do I leave?" he asked.

"As soon as possible. Those wounds of yours should be fine in a day or two."

"I'm surprised they didn't heal sooner," Inuyasha mentioned.

"Yes. You're used to that attribute in your demon blood. Those scars might heal, but there is little chance that they will disappear completely." Sensei drank more tea, and it seemed to have a calming affect.

"Also…Miko is coming with you."

"What!"

"Miko will be accompanying you on your journey."

"She…She can't!" protested Inuyasha, setting his teacup down with a clank and standing up furiously.

Sensei smiled up at him, seeming to be amused at Inuyasha's reaction. "She is."

"What? Why?" Inuyasha demanded.

"She insisted on going. She would go and follow you even if it meant going against my word," Sensei said, giving Inuyasha a rather unnerving stare, which made him sit down.

"That stupid girl. I'll change her mind!" Inuyasha said, once seated.

"I assure you, you wouldn't be able to. She insists on going."

"Why?"

"She would feel responsible if harm came upon you in any way. And if you do happen to encounter Naraku, harm would come upon you. In the worst possible ways."

"It…It isn't her business!" Inuyasha insisted.

"Why isn't her business?"

Inuyasha suddenly felt like getting upset at Sensei, sitting on the floor seeming so apathetic in front of him.

"Because…I got myself into this mess. It isn't her concern."

"She doesn't seem to think so," said Sensei. "Nothing you say, or I say, will change her mind."

Inuyasha stayed quiet, seeing that Sensei was probably right.

As he always was.

"You will probably get lonely on the road, anyhow," said the old man, smiling with what seemed to be a smug expression. "She will make a good companion. Especially for you. You fear her in danger, do you not?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth.

"That means I'll have to go out of my way to protect her."

"As she would wholeheartedly do for you," countered Sensei. "Rest assured, your concern for each other will keep you both safe."

He laid his hand, large and comforting, on Inuyasha's shoulder, reaching across the small tea-serving table.

"Forgive her, Shijou," the man whispered softly. "And forgive yourself."

-

Miko applied more of the poultice in the night, not talking through the entire procedure. She had sensed that Inuyasha was slightly annoyed at her.

The next morning she peeled off the bandages, and Inuyasha's skin had healed so that they ceased to bleed.

But Inuyasha felt that Sensei was right. The scars would never fade fully.

Miko seemed to be thinking about the same thing as she disposed of the last of his bandages. Finally, she spoke.

"We're leaving today," she said simply.

"It took me long enough to heal," said Inuyasha, regretting it immediately. Miko cringed.

His recovery had been the work of her hands. That he wished that it happened faster conveyed the message that it was her fault that it hadn't.

"I feel so much better, though," he said, at an attempt to take his words back.

Miko smiled feebly. "We should get going. Sensei's probably waiting."

"Yeah," replied Inuyasha, standing up.

"Grab your sword," she said, beckoning to Tetsusaiga, leaning against the wall near the rolled up blankets where Inuyasha had slept.

He did, and then began walking for the door. He was out of the room already when he noticed that she wasn't following.

Inuyasha poked his head into the room. "Aren't you coming?"

Miko was staring up forlornly at the ceiling. "Yeah, I am. It's just…" She stared at Inuyasha for a while, then walked to the other side of the room to retrieve her bow and full quiver of arrows.

"I hate it when you trail off like that," Inuyasha said to her as she came to join him in the doorway. "Just what?"

She looked back at the room again. "It's just that…This is the last time I'll see this room, huh?" Gently, she touched the frame of the doorway, as if she'd be missing it.

"Humans. Too sentimental," said Inuyasha, scoffing.

"I suppose that's what makes us human," Miko replied, stepping out of the room and shutting the door softly.

-

Sensei and a few of the other masters had made the arrangements for Inuyasha and Miko's journey. Together, they gathered a large but relatively portable pack of foods treated with preservatives and several instruments to cook with. They would have to travel on foot; even if either of them knew how to ride horses, it attracted attention too easily.

The teachers also included a small sum of money, which was to be concealed. If thieves on the road knew that they carried any money at all, they would be attacked.

Especially because the two companions stuck out- it wasn't often that you'd see an inu-hanyou and a human priestess traveling together.

The money included the fare for the return to Onzhou by sea. The ship was coming in the high afternoon, which was quite fortunate timing on Inuyasha's part. Okinawa was on the outer rims of Japan's map, so it wasn't often that ships visited its shores.

The small amount of money in itself wouldn't last long. However, this is when Inuyasha learned that Sensei and the various instructors of the school had an intimate but widely-stretched network of liaisons and covert alliances. Master Herbal, for example, who was a shrine maiden before she was accepted to the school to become a teacher, had dozens of sister priestesses scattered over the Islands of Japan, ready to help at the mention of her name. In good faith, these connections would take care of and shelter Inuyasha and Miko.

Things were set to go with relatively optimistic outlooks, however, neither Inuyasha nor Miko had readily traveled across Japan.

After saying their goodbyes and farewells to the teachers, the two left the Seminary through the only proper exit, which also happened to be the only proper entrance.

It was the way through which Inuyasha could remember coming in so many months ago; through that unimpressive wooden door, guarded by an unimpressive-looking man in a sage's green robes.

When Inuyasha first came here, he had wanted to laugh at how small and bent over that old man was. But no more.

Things were different now.

The doorkeeper seemed more alert somehow; straighter, with better posture, to enable quicker reflexes.

The man smiled toothily as Inuyasha and Miko walked by, keeping his zanbatou in firm grip.

Miko was carrying the pack of food, and was having a difficult time balancing it on her back. At Inuyasha's offer, she stopped and set it down. He should have never let her try to carry it, in the first place.

It was effortless to Inuyasha, and together the two of them began walking towards the cave's mouth, so that they could walk down the planks in the cliffside to the dock.

Suddenly, a shout: "Shijou! Wait!"

The voice was Suzume's, who was their only mentionable friend throughout their time at Goshinboku.

And, apparently, she thought the same way, because she had come out to see them off. "I was afraid I wouldn't catch you before the ship came," she said, panting. She looked like she had just sprinted from her dormitory to where she now stood.

"You're in luck, then," said Inuyasha.

"I just wanted to say goodbye. You've been some of the best friends I've ever had here," she said, looking from Inuyasha to Miko.

It was the first time Inuyasha had seen her since that night, and yet, unlike Miko or Sensei, she looked relatively unchanged.

Miko beamed at Suzume's words. "It was short lived. We're sorry."

"I regret not being able to go with you," the girl said, smiling back.

"It's not a vacation, Suzume," said Inuyasha, slightly irked at the girl's words. It wasn't like they were setting out to see the world- They were setting out to run.

Suzume nodded, knowing his point. "I'm a bird. It's been so long since I've last seen my home. Goshinboku is my cage, and I wish to be free."

Inuyasha nodded. He could understand her words, though he didn't feel the same way.

"Before you go, I want to give you my name," said Suzume. "I almost think of you like the siblings I left at home. The ones I never got to grow up with. You have my trust. Know me now as Tentori."

"Tentori," murmured Miko softly, trying to get the sound familiar in her ears. "Goodbye, Tentori."

"Goodbye, Miko. I'll meet both of you again someday. And when I do, you'll both tell me your names."

"Hai," replied Miko.

"Something to look forward to. Until then. I'll pray for both of you."

"I think we'll need your prayers," said Miko, nodding. She hoisted her quiver of arrows onto her back.

"Yeah…" Suzume now turned to Inuyasha, looking at him with a solemn smile. "Watch out for her, Shijou."

He was a bit startled. "I will."

"I think I have my combat class starting in a few minutes," said Suzume, who looked like she was having difficulty keeping track of time.

"We don't want to keep you," said Miko. "Go on."

"Yeah…" Suzume said, her expression falling into a disappointed smile. "I'll be going."

With little more than a wave and a shout of "Sayonara!", Suzume ran back through the door which she had just come through.

Together the two continued walking down towards the dock, where they set their belongings down. They sat on the edge, courting a plunge into the sea, basking in the cool wet cliffside spray.

Miko took off her socks and sandals, setting them neatly next to her quiver of arrows, and rolled up her sleeves.

"Don't you feel relieved, somehow?" she asked Inuyasha.

"What do you mean?"

Miko shrugged, smiling down at her clear, turbulent reflection in the shallow water. "I feel free. Just like Suzume said."

"Free of what?"

Miko shrugged again, dangling her feet over the edge, while Inuyasha contemplated what she had mentioned before.

"I think I feel free of expectations more than anything," he answered, looking over at her.

"Expectations! That's what it is," said Miko, nodding vigorously.

"I felt like everybody was watching me back there," Inuyasha said, tossing a look over the Seminary entrance. "Like they were waiting for me to make a mistake."

"…And then when it looks like you won't make any, they expect you to beat everybody," Miko said, elaborating on Inuyasha's thoughts.

"They expect you to…But they don't want you to, at the same time."

Miko nodded at Inuyasha's words.

"Isn't it sad what a double standard can do to people?"

Inuyasha would have said yes, only if he knew what a double standard was.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's hard to explain. In our example…When there's a human strong enough to defeat a demon, it's outrageous and unthinkable. And yet, when a demon defeats a human, it's considered nothing."

Inuyasha nodded.

"It's not a hard thing to understand, really," said Miko, looking at Inuyasha with a poignant smile. "Especially for people like us."

There was a large silence between them then, but it was not an awkward one. They both felt content with the other, and nothing more had to be said.

"Tentori…" she murmured suddenly, striking an absentminded tone. "What a pretty name."

"That's another thing," said Inuyasha. "Was the hiding of names really needed?"

"A name's concealment only tells you how useful it can be," said Miko matter-of-factly. "Or at least it's the way I see it. The reason why we don't do it anywhere else is because spells are usually cast on us the moment we are born to protect us from people who might use our name to bad purposes. It's like…a baptism. Goshinboku doesn't believe in that sort of protection. The Masters predict a flaw, that once discovered, will mean the end of everyone."

"I guess. Is it possible for someone who went here to break those spells?"

"I think it would depend on how strong the person is, and how strong the spell is. More elaborate spells are cast over nobility and heirs to thrones," answered Miko.

"That makes sense."

He balanced the sheath of Tetsusaiga on his cross-legged knees. For a moment, he thought, _Wouldn't it be funny if this fell into the ocean?_

A moment later, another part of him said, _No, it wouldn't. _

Miko promptly interrupted his musing.

"Hey…" said Miko, looking at Inuyasha thoughtfully, "Are _you _an heir?"

He looked back at her incredulously. "That's stupid. Do I look like an heir? Where'd you get that idea?"

Miko smiled and shrugged. "It was that time that Tatsugami called your brother 'Seishou of the Western Lands.' It got me thinking."

"Tatsugami called him that for a reason. _He's _the heir, stupid," said Inuyasha, looking out to sea.

Miko seemed satisfied with that answer, and again they sat in silence.

It was her that broke it once again.

"Don't you think it's sad?" she asked.

"I hate talking to you, you're always so vague," said Inuyasha, making an annoyed face.

"You didn't let me finish," said Miko disdainfully. "What I was going to say is that…Don't you think what Goshinboku Seminary does is a lost cause?"

"A lost cause? How?" he asked. If anything, it was _not _a lost cause. It trained hundreds of young people with potential into brilliant war strategists and fighters.

"Because. All anybody wants in the end is peace," said Miko simply. "Goshinboku works against that. It teaches the students to make war, when the truth is that nobody wants it."

"Maybe Goshinboku trains its students to end wars," Inuyasha pointed out.

"Not true. It trains people from all cardinal directions, people who are constantly at war with each other. It turns friends here into hated enemies in adulthood."

"Don't you think…" started Inuyasha, "That since this place is where the kids spend half of their childhoods, they're loyal to their friends?"

"It's because they spend half of their childhoods here that they're so loyal to their people. They have nothing left, really, so they're desperate to prove themselves worthy in front of their families," said Miko thoughtfully.

Inuyasha could think of plenty of examples, where the students were always talking about home, where the students held pride in the accents unique to their villages.

"Blood's thicker than water, don't you think?" she asked.

"I can think of one exception," Inuyasha said, smiling.

"I don't doubt it, Inuyasha," answered Miko, pulling her legs up onto the surface of the dock, pulling her knees to her chest.

He turned to her. "It's weird you call me that now, y'know."

"Really? You mean 'Shijou' has grown on you?" she asked.

"It just takes a while to get used to."

"But you're alright if I call you by your real name."

"I don't give a damn, really."

"Inuyasha it is."

"Hey," he said, also withdrawing from the edge of the dock, "How come I don't know your name?"

Miko looked surprised, but then her eyes lit up. "Well- I don't know. Of course, I couldn't tell you while we were up in the school. I always meant to tell you afterwards, though."

Inuyasha sat waiting, boredom deriving from idleness. "So? What is it?"

"I'm Kagome. What's your name?" Kagome gave Inuyasha a childish, ingenuous smile.

It was a two-year-old's game she was playing, really.

He held a quizzical face. "I'm Inuyasha," he said uneasily.

"Nice to meet you, Inuyasha," she said, extending a hand.

Surprised at himself, he shook it, and smiled.

-

**A/N: **-sighs- So there's that chapter, which longer than I thought it would be. But mostly it was the characters talking.

Like Suzume's real name? Strange, huh, how I introduce them later. I think Tentori is a pretty name, just like Suzume. "Tentori" means "heaven bird" in Japanese. I liked Suzume; it's a pity that we won't see her for a while. But she'll appear again in one of the later installments of the Chronicles of Goshinboku.

Like Miko's real name? It almost killed me, seriously, not being able to use "Kagome" for such a long time. Of course, I messed up a few times and used it anyways. Kudos to those who pointed it out for me! I would have grown gray hairs perusing through the fanfiction to try and find them. Of course, I only discovered the "Find" tool on Microsoft Word.

Some people asked why I couldn't use Kagome's name if I could use Inuyasha's. Well, the reason is that this story is told mainly through his point of view, even if it isn't in first person perspective. The limited third person is very useful sometimes, as it can relate the reader to what the characters are feeling without becoming a boring narrative. In other words, the words are written as Inuyasha would interpret. Did he know Kagome's name before? No. So I didn't use it. Also, even after he knew Suzume's real name, I referred to her as Suzume still because that is what he knew her as.

Loyal reviewers, don't disappear! -terminator voice-

I'll be back. -walks away, robot-like-

Alohaturtle


	9. Youkai of the Umitaishou

**A/N: **I'm trying my best to write this. With how busy I've been in Europe, I never really get a good chance to sit down, go oommmm, relax my senses, and write.

I also have a formidable reading list for my Honors American Literature class for my freshman year in high school. On top of that, all my friends will be asking me for my help interpreting the readings and so forth. So it's a matter of priority: I have this story and HAM balancing on one hand, the stuff I should really be doing on the other.

Lucky for you, I haven't really decided which comes first (though I know which one should). So, enjoy the chapter.

Oh, I almost forgot. If you can access a map of Japan and the surrounding seas, please do. It would be a bit boring for me to go _completely _into a geography lesson.

**Disclaimer: **Take a guess. Do I? Don't I?

_AlBhed Chocoboz- _Ummm, I think I know what you're talking about when you say "Anne Rice." Because I have read her stories. And I really didn't want to drag it out, the last chapter, but I didn't think anything more would be suitable for it. But yay. It's valuable. Of course more of the Inu-tachi get added, but later. I'm debating about Shippou- I don't really like him.

_erosgirl- _Thanks. I hope it will be good.

-

**Chapter IX: Youkai of the Umitaishou**

Inuyasha began to realize just how secluded the island of Okinawa was. For one, it was the _Shinkyou _that had been scheduled to take them back to the mainland, the same ship that had taken Inuyasha away from the mainland and to Okinawa.

When he asked about it, the captain proudly disclosed that he was one of only ten sea captains whose vessels were allowed formal and official admittance to dock at the shores of the small island.

Kagome said she herself had come by a different boat, but the story was still what Inuyasha believed to be true.

So Inuyasha found himself among the same ranks of men and boys with whom he had made his previous voyage with. Some remembered him; those were mostly the ones his age; most didn't.

He stayed with Kagome at all times. He didn't trust any of these men; he never really did. Some of them looked crude, as was expected, with the gleam of a lecher in their eyes. Unfortunately, they all had to sleep in the same forecastle, so Inuyasha made sure that he slept in the bunk next to hers, and that he stayed awake all night, alert for any sort of approach.

Kagome never liked to stay indoors, so she was always outside with the crew. Inuyasha usually worked with them, helping with what he could, such as cleaning the deck and adjusting the rigging, but he always kept an extra eye out for her. If she got in the way, it might just mean an excuse for another man to touch her.

She never expected anything, but that was just Kagome, he supposed. He felt satisfied knowing that he could do something to protect her…And that it was working.

He flew into a rage when the first of the crew started making the off-color jokes about what must be going on between the two of them, but quickly realized that the sailors just enjoyed it more when he reacted that way. But he couldn't really begin to grow used to them, so that they were nothing more but a slight annoyance, a fly buzzing around on his back.

Inuyasha and Kagome were good company for each other; and kept mostly to themselves, but also joined in with the rest of the crew at mealtimes and so forth.

After they had boarded the ship, she gave him a long string of brownish-black rosary beads to keep around his neck.

"Here," Kagome said as she handed the necklace to Inuyasha.

"Hey, do you think I _like _jewelry?" he sniffed.

"Just wear it, Inuyasha," said Kagome, sighing exasperatedly. She threw it over his head before he could say or do anything about it.

He looked at it disgustedly. "I told you, I don't want trash like this!"

"Fine," said Kagome, standing up and walking away. "Then take it off."

Much to his surprise and anger, he could not.

-

It was the second day that the captain told them some startling news concerning their voyage to Port Kibou.

"The waters of the East China Sea are rougher since ye last came aboard, lad," the captain said.

"It's assumed that we won't be taking that sea route, then?" asked Kagome.

"Hai," answered the captain. "There was a major loss of cargo due to storms on the way here to Okinawa. Half a dozen of my men caught pneumonia from the hurricanes, and the rest of them caught it later. T'was my luck."

The large man plucked a small scroll from the breast of his haori and spread it across the surface of the deck railing.

It was a detailed map of Japan- but more importantly, the trade routes, the sea undercurrents, and the wind patterns of its high seas.

"We're o'er here, obviously," grunted the man, scratching his beard while pointing to near one of the larger dots of the Ryukyu Islands that was Okinawa.

"And…?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.

"We're gonna have to take a major detour around these islands," the captain replied, sliding his finger to a region of sea called the Nampo Shoto.

"And then we cut straight across near Shikoku…" said Inuyasha.

"Where's the regular route?" Kagome asked, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

"This way," the captain replied, placing his finger back on Okinawa, then moving it slowly upwards and to the left. "We make our way to this little island. Cheju Island. Then we sail into this strait here," he said, pointing to the tiny gap between Onzhou and Kyushu.

Kagome's eyes still appeared to be fixed on Cheju Island, carefully studying the area around it. "But that's Korean territory," she said, noting that the island was colored a different shade than the rest of Japan.

"A smart lass ye are. It is Korean territory. However, it's a triangle of trade between Japan, China, and that little island. They don' let in any foreigners for settlement. But it's a common stopping point for traders."

"If they were hostile, they'd starve," said Inuyasha. "It makes sense."

"That can't be the only way, though," Kagome answered. "How about here?" She pointed to the area of sea northeast of Okinawa. "What's stopping us from going here?" she asked, peering closer to see the name. "Saigai Sea?"

The captain's face blanched. "Pirates. They have control over the whole place."

"I see," said Kagome, disappointed and ideas defeated.

"It's a quick way, o' course, those seas…" the captain went on, referring to the regions controlled by pirates. "People still travel there just to expedite their voyage…But, trust me: A boat this big and with this much cargo ain't getting very far in those places…"

"What a strange name…Saigai Sea…" Kagome said.

"I guess ye don't know what it means, then, do you?" asked the captain.

Kagome gave him a blank look. "No, I don't."

"It means Sea of Disaster," he replied, giving her a crooked smile, though what made it crooked, she couldn't tell; his teeth or the words.

And suddenly the man didn't feel like talking about the matter anymore, leaving both of them wondering. It alarmed Inuyasha that it might take longer to get to the mainland than he expected.

Much longer…

-

Kagome knew that Inuyasha had once worried that she might be seasick. But she wasn't. At all. If anything, she was better at sea than he was, and more capable and alive than she was on land.

Perhaps that was just the freedom talking.

She thought the idea of a ship setting sail was liberty. The greatest and utmost liberty.

To her their voyage was almost like a treat; she knew that she had learned all that Goshinboku could ever teach her, and much, much more.

The captain had said at the beginning of the journey that there was no room for idle passengers, but of course Kagome was not expected to work. She supposed what he said simply applied to male passengers, and she was the only girl aboard, so she found good places to watch and keep out of the way.

Every now and then, however, she'd work in the galley, and all the crew loved her as the best cook they had ever had.

Other times, she sat near the bow all day, balancing herself on the railing and over just enough to be able to catch a glimpse of the dragon figurehead at the joint of the keel and the stem. She liked the look of it, elegantly carved in some sort of strong, polished wood. It was fascinating to see the dragon swimming, plunging beneath the surface, only to breach the waters again at the passing of a wave, shooting out water in all directions.

She usually waited all day just to have a chance to talk to Inuyasha, though she would slip him a few words if he passed by her on the ship during his working hours.

She thought he looked odd with his sleeves rolled up, which is what happened when he was required to haul things around or to adjust the riggings.

That's how he came to her the day the winds died, putting down a rag he was using to oil a hook on the sails.

"Are you finished for the day?" she asked him, patting the space beside her in a gesture to invite him to sit down.

He plopped down into the seat, pulling on his sleeves so they fell back to their normal length. "Yeah…"

"I was hoping so. You haven't had any break all day."

"Are you worrying that I'd wear myself out?" Inuyasha asked, turning to her and looking slightly annoyed.

Kagome quailed, but she didn't look regretful. "Even you need some rest."

"Feh," answered Inuyasha, tossing his head to the side and crossing his arms. "Nobody really did any useful work today. You know. There's no rigging to adjust when there's no wind."

"It's strange," murmured Kagome. "We entered this region a while ago, didn't we?"

"According to that senile fool," sniffed Inuyasha, motioning to the _Shinkyou_'s captain.

"He promised high winds…" she trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"Yeah, well, we better get them. Even out of the range of pirates, we're doomed if there's none."

She nodded, and upon her face was the grimmest of expressions he had ever seen her wear.

Interrupting their conversation was the bright, squeaky chirp of a small sparrow-sized bird who had decided to make its perch on the bottommost spar of the ship. Its feathers were an inferno of vivid red and orange, and it happily sang its heart out to the crew.

However, when Inuyasha turned, he saw that the nearest sailor, a young man named Maruoke, looked cowed.

"What is it?" he asked hastily, perfectly aware of some sort of foreboding presence the bird caused.

Maruoke looked up, looking slightly distracted. "We call them _chitori, _blood birds. They're a horrible omen for seafarers."

"Why?" asked Kagome, stepping down from where she had been sitting. "It looks perfectly harmless. Actually, it makes me hopeful," she added.

"Why…Because you like birds?" asked Inuyasha dryly.

"No," she answered, giving him a contemptuous glare. "Because it must mean there's land somewhere nearby."

To this, Maruoke just shook his head fervently. "No. We haven't traveled long enough to reach the Nampo Shoto yet." He sighed heavily, looking back up at the bird. "It represents a storm. Sometimes these birds get blown places by tempests."

"So…There's a storm coming?" Inuyasha asked, casting a sardonic look about the ocean.

"Theoretically," Maruoke answered, not too eager to argue with Inuyasha, what with his annoyed appearance.

"In _this _weather?" Not one wind blew about the place, but Maruoke still nodded.

"Fool," said Inuyasha. "Don't believe him, Kagome."

He expected to get a reply, but she wasn't listening. Instead, he followed her distracted gaze to the horizon, where a ship just began to creep into vision.

It was moving at an incredible speed for traveling in a sea with no winds, even if they had rowers on them. Inuyasha thought his eyes tricked him.

Once the vessel was close enough, he spotted a white flag hoisted, with the solid red circle of the rising sun of Japan.

This could be luck in a time of none; since it was presumably a friendly ship, if the captain offered enough incentive, it was likely that they would give them a pull, at least until the winds started again.

It became clear that the crew of the other ship was thinking the same thing; they connected the planks to board the Shinkyou.

But instead of coming out to greet them, the vessel's captain shouted among the ranks of his crew.

"Can the master of the _Umitaishou_ be of service?"

"Yes!" cracked the thunderclap that was their own captain's voice. "We've been stranded in the area for a few days. You have rowers on you; give our vessel a lift, and you will be paid accordingly."

"What have you to offer?" came the reply, which, as Inuyasha noted, sounded slightly mocking.

It made him realize that he smelled something foul on the other ship. It was a demonic aura he had, in one way or another, encountered before.

He couldn't quite place it…

"This is a merchant trade ship of Japan. You may choose from whatever is in our hull," the captain answered.

"I will give you your lift, not for your goods, but something else," shouted the captain of the _Umitaishou_. "Hand over two people who I believe are on your ship. One, a half demon known as Shijou. The other, a human priestess."

Inuyasha put a hand on his sword, looking bothered. Kagome was alarmed, but all would be fine if he was there to protect her.

There was a bounty on their heads. Could this possibly have been ordered by Naraku?

"We have no passengers by those descriptions," answered their captain wisely. "Since I have nothing to barter, you should be on your way."

"Pity," said the voice, finally emerging out of the crowd of _Umitaishou_ sailors. "We'll have to scour your ship for them. We'll take your spoils later."

He was a demon- Inuyasha could tell. It would only make it harder for him. The crew he deployed were all humans, and presumably under the fact that their captain was as well.

But his scent wasn't the one he had met with before.

"When you lay dying on your capsized ship, know that it was Gatenmaru of the High Seas who brought your doom."

Then, he waved an arm, and his company hoisted a different flag- a black one, with the solid red circle in the center. It was generally the icon of corruptive sailors, bandits, and the like.

Then the crew of pirates boarded the _Shinkyou _before anyone could stop them.

Inuyasha, still able to think half-clearly with his mind racing, reached the boarding plank in one clean bound.

His plan was to clog the entryways until the sailors had retrieved weapons from below, or long. The pirates were just riff-raff anyways, for him. It was Gatenmaru who worried him.

The pirate standing directly in front of him stopped in his tracks and staggered backwards, but still had the gall to smile, rows of yellow teeth winking at Inuyasha.

"What luck. The half-breed has come to us."

Suddenly a better idea occurred to him.

"I suppose you have a problem, then."

Inuyasha pulled the Tetsusaiga out of it black lacquered sheath, noticing how it seemed to transform with little of his effort, and not draining very much energy. I also didn't glow red, though he knew heartfire laced the blade.

Then, sparing a grim smile to the frightened pirate, Inuyasha brought his blade down upon the spot right in front of where the man stood.

He and his comrades fell, screaming pleas for help and panic, into the dark blue depths of the ocean.

Inuyasha had no time to admire his handiwork, though he probably wouldn't have, because as he looked up, he saw Kagome, arrow notched and aimed on her bow, fall under the shadow of one of the masts, which was falling down like a tree.

Running as fleet as a hawk in flight, he tore to the spot where she stood, barely having time to scoop her up in his arms and scramble out o the area.

He set her down on the steps that led to the stern, then pulled on her arm to lead her up. From a higher vantage point, she could shoot those who came her way and more.

The familiar smell was beginning to bother him again.

He should go join the crew on the main deck, where a few sailors were already slaughtered by the men of the _Umitaishou_. He needed to find a way to get to that ship- and find the demon.

"I'm going to run out of arrows," said Kagome pointedly, peeking nervously into her quiver.

"Listen, I'll bring them up when I can. Stay safe; out of sight is good," he said feverishly.

Then he raced down to the deck, clashing with his enemies.

Meanwhile, both boats had crashed into each other, which the pirates took advantage of by lashing their rails together. Inuyasha gathered four arrows from the backs of pirates, and, more preoccupied than he should have let himself be, received a biting slash on his right forearm.

Taking one backwards step, he looked up.

That face…

The same face…

Which? He had seen dozens of pirates today.

Suddenly the haunting voice of one in particular rung in his mind.

_What luck. The half-breed has come to us._

It was the man who he had seen fall into the sea.

Most humans couldn't survive the shock of being pluged into icy cold water, and even if they did, their weakened bodies had little chance of fighting the waves.

The man was slack-jawed, soaking wet, and held the expression of a drunkard.

Something was amiss.

There was no light in his eyes.

_He had no…heartfire. _

Inuyasha was beginning to understand what Kagome so easily, so readily sensed and saw in other people.

Damn. He had wasted too much time on thought.

Inuyasha cut the man in half with his claws.

But more came, just like him, with the same expression and manner, with the body devoid of soul.

When Inuyasha attacked them, no blood was spilt.

He arrived at the obvious conclusion: they were already dead.

_Who had the power to control the dead?_

The winds around them seemed to be calm and unstirred no longer; waves were slapping against the side of the ship, rocking it around, and harmless-looking clouds that had dotted the sky earlier amassed in the presence of the wind to become storm heads

Without warning, the corpses and severed body parts rose as one into the brisk air, hovering laxly in slumped positions.

Then, as if receiving word from one shard master, they rushed at him in one united blow, all at once.

He jumped out of the way, though not without receiving a few biting wounds on his arms and legs.

That was when he heard a voice say, "Fyuujin no Mai!"

Silver arc-shaped blades flew in from all directions, from the sky, as if heaven-sent, from the sides, as if thrown by the pirates. He attempted to dodge them, reacting on impulse and intuition where they would ultimately strike, but one grazed the side of his face, and another at his right leg, which caused him to stumble in mid-air.

Suddenly, an arrow burning with purple energy struck the one that was about to come at his head, throwing it off course into the spars and sails of the _Shinkyou._

He looked up and inadvertently the first person his gaze fell upon was Kagome, who stood with her bow and arrow by her side.

The pirates who stood at hand rushed in at her, immediately recognizing that it would be the death of them if she could not be subdued. The corpses followed.

As it began to rain, she notched another arrow-her last one, Inuyasha noted grimly, as he started running towards them. But they were too close.

One pirate raised a hand and batted the bow out of the way, and her aim went awry.

Everybody seemed to watch as the arrow sailed into the black flag of the pirates, pinning it to the mast in the dead center of the red circle.

The pirates seemed to sit in stunned silence for a second, but soon realized that Kagome was defenseless, and seized her.

"Lord Gatenmaru, the flag-" yelled one pirate.

"Faulty superstitions," the man answered. "Hold her." Gatenmaru began walking onto the _Shinkyou. _

Kagome struggled, but she really was helpless when she couldn't exact her bow and arrow skills.

Inuyasha would have thought of some way to free her, but those strange silver arcs came flying out of the sky again, threatening to cut at him.

He stole a glance at Kagome, who had somehow struggled out of their grasp so that she now sat on the deck and the men had to drag her unceremoniously by picking her up and carrying her across the gangplank.

Inuyasha watched through the flurry of floorboards breaking from the silvery blades and pouring rain.

She shouted something, but he couldn't tell what.

The next thing he noticed, he had fallen flat onto the deck, so that a few blades swept over his head.

It became dark due to the storm-clouds overhead, so that he could only see figures, no faces.

"Onto the _Umitaishou!" _he instructed. "Help me find the bastard who's doing this.

Inuyasha thought ahead. The _Shinkyou _was battered and torn. The cut-up forms of the sails and masts lay scattered around the deck. Even if Inuyasha won this battle, their chances of survival were slim if their boat could not function. He had to get the crew over here, then lure the demon controlling these blasted blades onto the _Umitaishou. _

He ran to the pirate ship, the crew and captain following.

It was unlikely that Gatenmaru would have mercy, so he had to think of a way to get rid of the person creating these blades, and fast.

That demonic aura again…

It was strange. In battle, it felt as if his aura and the other's were colliding.

"Come out, you coward!" Inuyasha yelled at the top of his lungs, getting wetter by the minute.

The next wave of blades came after a brief but noticeable hesitation.

And it was when the blades came that he could smell his half-demonic aura clash with the others.

He could almost see it, but his concentration was mostly on dodging the blades. It occurred to him that they were no longer coming from the _Umitaishou, _but the _Shinkyou. _

Perfect.

_Hang on for a little while longer, Kagome…Wait for me…_

Then, the same voice cried out, "Ryuuja no Mai!"

A swirling tornado of water and wind rose out of the sea and headed straight for him. The other's demonic power was so strong this time that it jumped out at him.

His sense of smell was clearer; he could clearly tell that there was a small rivet right at the spot where the auras crashed against each other.

Some voice inside his head that he couldn't recognize said, _'Cut at it.'_

The voice was Sensei-sama's, who'd Inuyasha had known never to be wrong.

So he did.

And he was surprised. The heartfire on the edge of his blade seemed to exert itself outwards just at the contact of the divide, seeming to blow the wind out of place, creating a huge fissure in the _Shinkyou, _which led to his enemy, who got hit by the full force blow of the attack.

He still couldn't see very well; in this light, he might as well have been blinded.

However, Inuyasha could still smell, and rushed forward to where Kagome was still struggling, picked her up, and jumped to the _Umitaishou, _whose deck was nearly unscathed.

The sea roared as it swallowed up the _Shinkyou, _its captain and crew screaming.

The clouds cleared out of the way, so that Inuyasha was blinded by the sudden deluge of light directly hitting his face. The winds had not returned, but at least the brewing storm was gone.

Still holding Kagome, he watched as a white feather rose from the water and flew off.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.

She nodded, taking a sigh of relief, then opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out of her.

He turned to what remained of the _Shinkyou's _crew. Gladly, the captain had survived this mess, as well as a good number of the crew. Maruoke, the man who had explained about the bird, was no where in sight, along with a few others.

He sighed.

"Ye destroyed my ship, boy!" the captain said, laughing good naturedly.

"Yeah," said Inuyasha with a smirk. "I guess I did. I'm sorry about the loot," he added, referring to the merchandise that had been lost along with the ship.

The captain only laughed harder. "This is a pirate ship. Are you telling me there aren't any spoils downstairs?" he asked gruffly.

Despite his unwillingness to show it, Inuyasha was genuinely glad.

The captain and crew left to get situated below in the rowers so they could finally be on their way.

Inuyasha and Kagome were left alone.

She was blushing furiously.

"Could you put me down?" she asked quietly.

In response to this, he simply dropped her- not intentionally, but in shock. Shock that he had been carrying her like he was her bride for that long.

He heard Kagome say something like, "Osuwari!"

He plunged face first into the deck.

"Osuwari?" he asked incredulously. "What the hell was that for!"

"Like the necklace?" she asked, smiling triumphantly.

"Why you-"

"Osuwari," she said again.

He got up again, his face dirty. "You did that during the battle, didn't you?"

"And saved your neck," she added, annoyed. "So, this is the thanks I get for it."

"Thanks," said Inuyasha grudgingly.

She seemed at least a little bit satisfied, but probably because she wouldn't be able to get any more out of him. So he sprung a question he had been meaning to since the battle started.

"That demon who started the tornado and everything…Who was it?"

Her face betrayed her surprise. "Naraku," she said simply. "You didn't know?"

His cheeks turned red. _She _knowing who it was and not him…

Kagome was thinking the same thing. "You, of all people!" she said, laughing.

"Shut up," Inuyasha said, which she promptly did. "It really was him?"

"I'm sure. Same heartfire."

"Why couldn't I exactly figure out the smell, then?" he asked.

"Maybe your nose wasn't working?" Kagome replied.

He gave her a dry look.

"Or maybe…" she started to suggest, "it was because you never faced him head-on."

He considered it. "But I brought him back to life."

"His aura wasn't present before you opened the tomb. And it was only a couple of seconds before he attacked you. And, after, well, you were…"

"Dead," he finished grimly.

"Um, yeah," she said, sounding apologetic.

"And…do you know what I did out there?" he asked.

Now her face was blank. "No. I had no idea. I thought it was something Sensei-sama taught you?"

"I think he did. He trained me so I could figure it out on my own…" his voice trailed off. He was slightly troubled.

How was it that he could tap into so much power at once?

-

**A/N: **I had to add the part about Inuyasha carrying Kagome just for the ferkin' heck of it. And I had to add the rosary. What is Kagome if she can't yell "Osuwari!" and see the destruction that follows?

I can admit that I suck at humor. Proudly.

Even if Kagome doesn't particularly like birds, maybe I do.

If some parts of the story sound out of it, blame it on Do As Infinity, whose 75 songs on my iPod have been distracting me. During the middle of this chapter, I found myself writing the transliterated lyrics of Fukai Mori. –sigh-

Save me from insanity. Review.

-Alohaturtle


End file.
